It's Not Over
by Black Arcane101
Summary: Two years after the war between mages and templars, Hawke and her friends return to Kirkwall only to wind up back in the Deep Roads. The streets of Kirkwall are even more dangerous as creatures emerge and cause people to vanish. Strange visions plague Fenris' mind, yet he dares not to speak of it to anyone. And things only get worse when people Hawke thought were dead make a return
1. Strange dreams

**So... first Dragon Age fic since I got into the franchise. Really enjoying it by the way. So much dialogue, quests, people, hate, it's beautiful. And yes for once, I've actually paired a couple. Very likely I'll never do it again though.  
Anyway, enough of me drabbling on, here you go!**

 _Men came rushing in from all angles, their blades, staves and bows poised to strike at any given command. The small family cowered in fear, unable to defend themselves from such a huge crowd of armed soldiers. The mother held her children close doing whatever she can to protect what she held dear to her. The leader of the army moved towards them, his arms held behind his back, a cruel smile etched on his face. "Hand over the child and no blood will be shed," he spoke in a low, serious tone. Yet he kept his mouth in a lying smile. No matter what she did, she was going to die anyway. The frightened woman held the wanted child closer._

" _Please! Don't take him!" the mother pleaded. "Don't take my little boy!"_

 _The man snickered. "I'm afraid you have no other choice, serah" he declared, now extending his robed hand out to collect the child. The woman did not dare to let go of her son, tears began to well in her eyes. The young boy looked up at his mother with fearful eyes._

" _Mother? What's going to happen? Please don't let them take me" he pleaded. The lady looked down upon her son and caressed his cheek and stroking his chocolate brown hair to comfort him, also muttering words into his ear. The mage brought his arm back._

" _I don't have all day! Hand him over at once!" he scowled, the smile finally wiped from his face_

" _Don't fear them, my son. I will not let them take you or your sister. Not while I still breathe" she said, trust gleaming in her eyes. The boy stared at the man, his towering figure daunting and unwavering. His eyes burned like fire into his very soul._

" _You can't stop us from taking him!" the man spoke. "I am a Tevinter Magister, much more powerful than you could ever be. I'm in a higher class. You are just an elf! A slave! Nothing more. The Maker created you to be a slave and you can't change that no matter how hard you try! Whether you like it or not, you will obey my orders!" Danarius bent towards them, making eye contact with the fearful woman. "And since you are not cooperating as I had hoped, it's time I leave with your son." The mages hand reached towards the boys' face. Everything around him was now black. He could feel the powerful grasp of his captors hand wrench him from his mother and sister, dragging him further and further from the people he held dear to him._

" _Leto! Leto!" he heard his mother cry. He continued to struggle against the man's power. He could not speak, as for something covered his mouth. He could still hear his mother beg for him to return. However, her voice became fainter with each passing second._

" _Shut it!" screamed a deep voice. He heard his mother cry out before everything went silent. Leto then dreaded for the worst as he heard his sister scream. The voices around him started to grow quiet; the last thing he heard was the voice of his captor._

" _Oh don't you worry" he taunted, his devious smirk returning to his face. "It'll feel just like home with all the dirt and grime Fenris. My 'little wolf'." The boys' eyes went wide with fear at his new name. He soon lost all feeling in his body, his eyes closing against his will._

" _Mother…" he spoke mentally as the world around him went cold and silent._

His eyelids fluttered before he fully opened them, welcoming the warmth that bathed his body. Fenris lifted his head. He had fallen asleep in a chair next to the cosy fireplace fitted into his mansion, a three-quarter empty bottle still gripped in his right hand. A quiet sigh left his lips. "Another dream…" he muttered. These dreams have been going on for several days now. He even had images flash through his head during the day and at worst time too, such as fighting the Darkspawn, mages or the slavers. The information Varania had told him before he killed her only gave him a very little answers to his strange memories. All that he knew was that his name used to be Leto. So that boy must have been… him? He couldn't be sure. However, he could easily recognise the man that had forcibly taken him from his family, the wretched bastard that he used to call master. Danarius was now dead, killed by the thing he was after in the first place, Fenris' lyrium markings, the burdened markings that led him to escape; to escape without the family he could no longer remember.

He took a swig of his wine, and creased his brows. Now Varania and Danarius were dead, he had no family, no one that knew his past. But he was glad he killed his sister. Maker, she was a mage! Did she not see what Danarius had done to him? Yet, she gave away her own brother to become an apprentice mage.

" _Do you regret? What happened to your sister, I mean" Merrill asked as she followed her team through Lowtown._

" _No" was Fenris' answer, anger still surged through his lyrium filled blood._

 _The Dallish elf was cautious with her words. "You don't feel bad about killing her? Not even a bit?"_

 _Fenris growled. "It was necessary" he said as calmly as possible. "One day, like all mages, she would succumb to the temptations that demons and blood magic has to offer. Not killing her would have only postponed her death." Merrill was quiet after that, not daring to say another work to the already angered warrior._

That elf had no right to tell him what to do. After all, she was a mage herself, a blood mage to be exact. She was already too far gone. He took another sip of his wine and rested his arms on his lap, staring into the fire. He was surprised that he returned to Kirkwall after that blasted war, and surprised that anyone had even dared to return. Even his fellow teammates had returned to their homes, not caring if the surrounding area was still covered in the dried blood and bones of the fallen innocents and soldiers. They were going to work together, to return Kirkwall to its former glory with Hawke as the Viscountess. Hopefully then, will the madness end.

Fenris' hand was now stinging in pain. Turning his hand to the offending appendage, he realised that he had crushed the bottle, the shards cutting his hand and the remaining content of the bottle layed spilt across the damaged tiles. He again sighed to himself as he stood, easily dismissing the pain as if it never happened. He needed to rest. His pointless anger and stress was not what he needed, not when he had a long day ahead of him tomorrow. And with that, the elf led himself to his room, leaving the warmth of the fire and the broken bottle on the floor. The flame flickered from a sudden gust of wind, before somehow being snuffed out completely.

 **There you go! And yes, I know I did steal a little dialogue from when Merrill and Fenris are talking but I thought it suited that part. I hope this was okay for a first DA fic, I'm not used to it yet. Please tell me if I do something wrong. I'll be sure to fix it. Til next time, stay awesome! XD**


	2. A Journey is Brewing

**Had some time to kill so I managed to finish this chapter. And I won't possible be able to update for a while now. I have an exam coming up in a couple of weeks and a whole ton of music performances to prepare for. So, new chappie! Enjoy!**

To think, after almost eight years after leaving Ferelden, she would become one of the most known people in Kirkwall. Scratch that. She is the most popular person in all of Thedas. And now, she was viscountess as well as champion; a title which she was proud to have and keep. If only her mother could see her. She missed her family dearly. Carver, crushed to death by a blasted ogre. Mother, lost to a madman who only wanted to reincarnate his dead wife. And Bethany… Hawke shuddered. Her sister was lost to the taint during the Deep Roads Expedition. Neither she nor her companions could do anything to save her. And ever since she had returned home, Hawke blamed herself for Bethany's death. It was her fault that she was gone. When Carver died, she blamed herself. When her mother died, Gamlen blamed her for being too weak and slow, and she couldn't agree more. She was a rogue! She as meant to be quick on her feet, she was meant to be agile and swift with her attacks, yet when she saw the state of Leandra, it felt as if someone had taken her daggers off her and placed them against her neck. She couldn't do anything no matter what she did. And now it felt as if her mother's blood was on her hands, permanently staining her skin until the day she died.

Hawke paced through Lowtown, making her way towards the Hanged Man. Apparently Varric had found a juicy lead on some thugs that had fled into the Deep Roads after stealing some valuables from the remains of the Chantry. Oh why did they have to take refuge in the one place she did not dare go back to? Not after she lost her dear little sister there to the worst thing possible. She reached the splintered door and opened it, welcomed by the smell of ale and stale vomit. Her nose wrinkled at the smell but she quickly got used to it. She walked further in, earning glances and muttering from the drunken, seeing the hung slump on the tables with their precious ale dripping onto the floor. At the corner of her eye, Hawke saw Isabela leaning against on the counter close to Corff, gesturing for another drink. She soon came across a table with a smug looking dwarf looking through some papers, before taking a sip of his ale and looking up to greet the champion.

"Ah, Hawke. It's good to see you" Varric spoke, lifting his drink to welcome the fellow rogue.

"It's good to see you too Varric" Hawke replied, taking a seat in front of him. She gestured towards the waitress Norah and with a nod of her head, she was already off. The rogue leaned onto the table, supporting her heads with her hands. "So, what is this information you have found that will help us find those bandits?"

Varric chuckled. "My dear Hawke, always getting down to business."

"Oh come on Varric, I'm not always this serious. But you do understand what I had to go through when I was last in the Deep Roads. And we both know how much we hate that place."

"True. I lost my brother and you, your sister."

"I just want this over and done with, that's all. I don't mean anything nasty by it."

"I understand" Varric said. He took a deep breath and also leaned against the table. "I've heard from some of my contacts that the thugs have found an alternate route into the Deep Roads. Enough searching and we have located the entrance, which just so happens to be in Sundermount. I asked a few men to scout the cavern for any wandering darkspawn. Funny enough only two of the five returned alive, came running back here screaming like children they did. The next day, one of them went insane, in the same way Bartrand did but far worse. He went on a rampage and killed three men, so I had to put an arrow through his head. The last of my men came running to me and described the happenings that occurred in the Deep Roads." He paused, taking a sip of his ale to quench his thirst. Soon, Norah returned with a pint for Hawke. She handed the waitress some silver and with that, she was gone.

"So, it sounds like there isn't an end to the darkspawn, but what of the wraiths?" Hawke finally took the first sip of her drink, squeezing her eyes shut for a bit before getting used to the strong ale.

Varric simply shrugged. "According my men, there were no wraiths to be seen since we killed what seemed to be their leader eight years ago. Voices could be heard however, screaming and wailing to be precise. He was saying that shades continue to roam the caverns, even more hostile than the ones we've previously fought. And not only that, the whole cavern shook violently, as if something sinister had awoken from a deep slumber."

Hawke raised an eyebrow. "A High Dragon?"

"They didn't hear anything that sounded like a dragons roar. In fact, they heard no roar whatsoever. And now, I'm curious to find out what caused it" Varric smiled, and then frowned. "Now, I have a favour to ask of you. And don't tell the Elf or he'll be far broodier than he normally is. I swear to the Maker, if he frowns even more, his face is going to be stuck that way for the rest of his life." Hawke smiled. Fenris could certainly go for a little less brooding.

"I'll be sure to keep my mouth shut Varric" Hawke assured, pretending to zip her mouth shut.

"Good. Now, are you willing to come along?"

The Champion paused for a moment. To go back to the very place where she lost her little sister. A place she never wanted to return to. To be honest, she was slightly concerned. What if the same thing happened to her? What would happen to Kirkwall then? What would Fenris think if he found out that she had left without him, only for the team to return with Hawke's tainted body slung across a soldiers shoulder, lifeless and cold? It pained her to think that way. That's why she persuaded herself that it wasn't going to happen. She had beaten the Arishok in single combat, stopped a war, and survived two years on the run. She wasn't going to let a disease beat her.

"Yes. Yes I will" The female rogue confirmed. "If it means bringing justice to the wrongdoers and returning Kirkwall to its former glory, then I'm in."

Varric nodded. "Now... there may have been a slight detail I left out, for your safety of course" he stuttered. Hawke shifted in her seat and gave him a quizzical look. "The road the thugs took... leads to..." he paused.

"What? Ferelden?"

"Tevinter." Varric braced himself for Hawke to flip the table and go mental but in fact, she stayed surprisingly calm, but the rage was audible on her face and her fists were clenched tightly.

"By the Creators, why did they have to go there of all places?! They're not there already, are they?"

"Not yet. They only started their journey two days ago. It'll still take them roughly three weeks to get to Tevinter, but they have a long lead ahead of us. If we can head off by tomorrow morning, I think we'll be able to catch up if we have small breaks every now and then while travelling through the night... if we are able to keep track of time down there." Hawke took a deep drink of her ale and slammed the mug onto the table, then let out a heavy sigh.

"Then so be it. If they are headed towards Tevinter, so will we. I will prepare to leave tomorrow." Hawke finished her pint and stood up.

"And who will you bring along? Of course, I will be going" Varric said.

The female rogue again thought for a moment. "Well, I'll have to think of a way to keep Fenris from coming and-"

"There's no need..." said a voice. A very familiar voice. The rogues turned their heads in the direction of the voice.

"Oh shit…" Varric muttered

"I'm going whether you like it or not. And nothing will keep me from going" Fenris said sternly, brows furrowed and arms folded. Now Hawke had to face her two worst fears; The Deep Roads and an angry boyfriend who can easily rip a person's heart out of their chest in a flash.

 **Busted! That's all I have to say. I actually really like this chapter. Bit of plotting here and strange happenings there. And then an angry, broody elf eaves drops on their conversation that he should have never known about. Ta-Da! And if some of you wanted a table flip, here you go! (-'0')- ~ |_|**

 **Til next time guys!**


	3. The Beginning

**Yay! I was able to smash through another chapter! And a surprise character will be here.  
Want to know who is it? Let's find out ;)**

Her daggers rested heavy on her back, her arms to the side and her head down as they made their way up the treacherous Sundermount. The dim light of the night sky was illuminated by several torches and magic. The sun had not yet risen since they had left the safety of their homes and only just now was the sun revealing its first rays of the day. Hawke had left her estate earlier this morning, asking for Bodhan to keep an eye on the place while she was gone, and especially Sandal, who still had a habit of swinging on the Chandelier when she wasn't looking. Already, she missed home, hoping she would be able to see it again. Hawke had not dared to talk to Fenris after what had happened in the Hanged Man yesterday in case he would get angrier with her. Honestly, he still looked angry.

 _Fenris walked towards them, clearly not happy about their little discussion._

 _"Fenris? How long have you been here?" Hawke asked, clearly surprised._

 _"Long enough to hear what you two are doing…" he muttered, his face unreadable but his fists were clenched as if he was angry. Hawke knew she was prone to the warriors' lectures and yelling, because unfortunately he was very good at it. And it seemed as if he was going to do it here and now._

 _"I- uh, well… I'm going to get another pint. I'll leave you two now" Varric stuttered and in an instant, he was already pacing towards Corff, asking for a refill. Hawke and Fenris didn't lay an eye on him as he left; they just stared at each other._

 _"We are leaving, now" Fenris spoke, heading towards the door and vanishing out of sight, Hawke soon following suite._

 _"I can explain" Hawke said, breaking the tense silence between them as they paced further and further away from the tavern._

 _"Save it" Fenris spoke, facing in the direction of their route._

She felt bad for having to keep it from him, and she felt even worse that she didn't do anything to keep him from coming. He insisted he had to go and Hawke just simply couldn't change his mind.

"Fenris; please. Can you just hear me out for a few minutes?" Hawke said, keeping her amber gaze to the rocky pathway. She could at least tell him why she didn't want him to go. If he didn't want to hear it, then so be it, that's what he wants. There was no reply. Perhaps she was right; he didn't hear what she had to say. That he didn't care what she was going to say and it was yet another excuse to stop him from tagging along. Little did she know that Fenris didn't want to the answer so it could save him more heartbreak.

"Well, here it is. The entrance to the Deep Roads" Varric spoke aloud, just so everyone knew what they were heading into. The dwarven rogue turned around to face the group, Hawke finally raising her head to show him a little respect. "Now is your time to make your final decisions. I'm still not sure how long we'll be in here but it will certainly be a long while. And if any of you don't remember what the Deep Roads is, I will give a brief explanation. The Deep Roads is an old network of dwarven tunnels that have been overrun by the darkspawn for centuries. Inside lays darkness and despair. Over the last few years since the Expedition, the creatures inside have grown more hostile and more unpredictable than ever, so we will all need to watch each other's backs in there if we are to reach those thugs. If you are still willing to come along, follow me. If you have changed your minds, I'm sure running back home to your mother won't dampen your reputation" Varric joked. "We will have a short break. By the time it's over, I will be wanting an answer from all of you." At those words, everyone split into their groups to discuss the situation, Hawke and Varric stood alongside their small team.

"And I'm guessing all of you only have one answer?" Varric asked the team.

"Indeed. It is my duty to bring these thieves to justice" Aveline spoke proudly and determined.

"Ser Pounce-a-lot and I will help the best we can" Anders spoke firmly, clearly not happy that he is returning to the Deep Roads yet again. At least he now had a cat again, and with it, he named it after his previous feline.

"Meow!" mewled the honey pelted feline, who sat obediently at Anders feet.

"This time, I will show the Keeper that I can make my own decisions, even if she is gone. That is why I will be by your side Hawke" Merrill stated, now looking down to the ground when she reminded herself of Marethari and her death. "She would be proud."

"I will fight by your side, as always" Fenris said in an unwavering tone, yet Hawke couldn't figure out if he was still angry or not. His face was so unreadable; she was having a hard time figuring it out.

Isabela sighed. "I would rather be at the Hanged Man, harassing Corff for pints but oh well."

Varric smiled. "Ah! So I'm not the only one!"

"If you come along, drinks are on me when we return" Hawke said, tempting the pirate.

Isabela and Varric simply chuckled. "Oh, dear Hawke. You couldn't possibly have enough coin to sustain the both of us. It would be a miracle if you did!" the female pirate exclaimed. Hawke simply rolled her eyes. Typical Isabela, always gaining the upper hand.

"Then it's settled then, all of us are going, yes?" Varric asked and everyone nodded. "I will gather the others and see to those who have had second thoughts." Varric turned and clapped, calling to the other soldiers that came and the rest of Hawke friends. She began to pace towards the group when a hand grabbed her wrist, stopping her. She turned her head to see Fenris before swinging her whole body around to look at him dead in the eyes for a second time in two days.

"You wanted to speak to me before?" he asked. Hawke nodded and he released her hand.

"I… want to apologise about yesterday" the rogue started, looking at the ground. "I didn't want to tell you about this whole mission because I knew you wouldn't say no. All I wanted is to keep you safe. I know you can protect yourself but if something were to happen to you, I could never forgive myself. It would bring me back to the time that I lost my whole family, especially Bethany, who I lost in the Deep Roads. Don't you remember? You were there when that happened. And when I thought about her, I thought about you, if you were to contract the taint and…" she trailed off, unable to speak any more. Fenris placed an armoured hand on her left cheek, causing her to look up. His forest green eyes was soft and gentle and… understanding. But at the same time a little angry.

"Hawke, listen to me. It would have been me to never forgive if you were to die, and I wasn't there to help you. How do you think I would feel if I lost you? If you left and I wasn't able to say goodbye? If you never returned from the Deep Roads breathing? What if they were already in Tevinter? The very place that I lost everything. I don't want to lose you in such a place. I simply wouldn't bear it. If that were to happen, life would be meaningless to me. You give me a reason to live, to keep fighting, because now I have something to fight for. You… And if anyone dares to take you from me, I will personally kill them myself, no matter the size, until I draw my last breath." Hawke let her tears roll down her face. She was so happy that he forgave her and so, so happy that he still cared for her. It took a tonne of stress of her shoulders knowing that he was going to help her through this. She embraced him, followed by a soft, yet passionate kiss. They moved their heads so that their foreheads were touching and then looked at each other.

"Should we best join the group?" Hawke asked, wiping her tears away. Fenris brushed a stray lock of soft, snow white hair out of Hawke's face.

"That would be wise" he agreed with a smile. They turned towards the group and joined the circle around Varric.

"So, is that all?" he questioned. No one answered, giving the dwarf the signal that it was time to send the four soldiers on their way home. They began to walk the way they came, one guiding them from the front with a torch, leading them home to safety. All that were left were six other soldiers clad in armor, men and women that Varric had hired for the journey and Hawke's team. Herself, Varric, Aveline, Fenris, Anders, Merrill and Isabela… and Ser Pounce-a-lot were ready for what was to come. The sun was slowly beginning to emerge from the tall hills of Sundermount, the team collecting their packs and slinging them over their shoulders or around their waists. Together, with Hawke's team leading, they paced into the cave mouth, letting the dark consume them with only their torches lighting the way, leaving behind what little sunlight had emerged from the once night sky, and marking the beginning of their treacherous journey. There was no turning back now.

 **NONE SHALL RESIST SER POUNCE-A-LOT! XD  
So, they are now in the Deep Roads. In the next chapter, I will put in a bit of party banter, just to make it a little interesting. And yes, Hawke brought along everyone (except Sebastian because, 1. I don't know much about him since I didn't get the DLC and 2. I already have enough characters to deal with.)  
So yeah… I'm drabbling. I'll shut up now :P  
Anyway, til next time guys!**


	4. Mystery Remains

**I hope to update every three to five days, since this will be the main story I will be focussing on in the future. And if you are wondering where the summary fits in, all will be in good time.**

"I couldn't just simply let it go on any longer. It had to be done!" Anders snapped.

"So you blew up the Chantry and killed many innocent people?" Fenris retorted.

"They supported the Templar for Maker's sake! Have you not heard what Elthina said? Her so called 'Grace' believed that the Templars were right, and that the mages had to be restrained in the Circle of Magi!"

"And I couldn't agree with her more. Look at what they did to me! Look what you did to the city. Not only did you destroy the Chantry, but you also spread debris across half of Kirkwall!"

"So help me. One day I will kill you…" the mage growled.

"And I still don't understand why you must bring the cat along with you. It will be killed."

"Don't underestimate the wrath of Ser Pounce-a-lot! He is a viscous beast!"

"…Right. And I thought you talking to it was pointless enough. You just happen to give affection to a creature who can't understand a single thing you say."

Anders put his hand to his chest and faked as if he had just been stabbed. "I've been wounded! How dare you speak of him like that! He is much more of a valued ally to me than you'll ever be!"

"I never wanted to be your ally! Nor did I want any involvement with a mage, one that hosts a demon to be exact!" Fenris growled

Hawke pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed loudly. Why did she let Anders come along? It just made this journey much worse. With Anders and Fenris always having an argument about something, it made Hawke feel like she was babysitting a bunch of children who fought over a single toy. It had to stop. "Girls, girls, stop fighting. You're both beautiful" she spoke in a calm, motherly-like tone, earning a snort from Varric, a chuckle from Isabela, a smirk from Aveline, a giggle from Merrill and very annoyed glances from Anders and Fenris. They may be annoyed now but at least it shut them up. She honestly didn't know how much longer she could have lasted with all that noise before she opened up a can of whoop-ass on the both of them. If she hadn't spoken then, Anders and Fenris would be in a far worse mood then they're currently in.

It's been at least half an hour since they first entered the Deep Roads. Old statues and pillars stand idly, slowly crumbling into nothing, the stone pathway layed cracked and unrepairable. Despite not reaching the lava pits yet, it was already quite warm, warmer than Hawke remembered. They passed many skeletons of those that were foolish enough to venture into the caverns. And from seeing to many, most looked as if they were ill equipped, as their rusted swords, cracked staves and bows layed useless next to their owners, who were clad in flimsy leather and rusted iron.

Yet something was very wrong here. Apart from the few hostile stragglers that the archers dispatched before they got too close, the team hadn't encountered any large groups of darkspawn. It made Hawke's fingers twitch. Were they further in, preparing to ambush? Did they know they were coming? And why were these darkspawn they found collecting lyrium from small deposits so far out? It didn't add up. So Hawke was left scratching her head, while the others had fun while it lasted.

At the very front guiding the team were the first three of Varric's soldiers, two warriors and a mage in the middle. From their conversation, it seemed that they were discussing about the mage, how he disguised himself as Templar to save himself.

Not too far behind them were Varric and Isabela in a small argument. Isabela insisted that Bianca could use a women's touch while Varric protested that Bianca was more than fine without it. Isabela pouted and folded her arms across her chest. She had a feeling that she wasn't going to win this time.

Following them was Aveline, Hawke and Merrill. Aveline pressed on confidently, showing no falter in her stride as they continued to move, her sword and shield clattering against her guardsman armor. Oh how much she was going to miss Donnic while she was here. The Dallish elf drabbled to herself, muttering words in her native tongue as well as English. She looked around at the crumbling cavern, taking in the misery around her. Hawke kept an eye out for anything peculiar, since she was still on her toes for anything that dared attack her team.

Behind them were Anders and Fenris, who were both still glaring daggers at one another. Ser Pounce-a-lot hadn't seemed to notice the banter between the two as it continued to bound alongside its master. At least Hawke was now over the headache that the two had caused but there was still tension between them. To save her and the others their pointless arguing, Hawke slowed down until the two were alongside her, and then returned to her normal speed. If they were to get to one another's throats, they would have to go through the Champion first.

Protecting the back of the team were the last three soldiers, two bow wielding rogues and another mage again in between. They were complaining about the heat and the weight of their armor. Hawke mentally sighed to herself. It was their decision to come along. If they don't like it, they can suck it up and keep moving on… if the path hadn't split into two.

"Okay everyone!" Varric called from the front, making everyone stop. "We have a five minute break. Until then, I will decide which way we go." The soldiers sighed in relief and picked a spot for them to come together, slumping onto the floor and drinking from their flasks. Hawke looked around and found what seemed to be a small opening to her left. Maybe there could be some reagents in there for her to make some poisons. Who knows? There's a high chance that there will be nothing in there but rocks, bones, lyrium and more rock.

"I'll be back soon" Hawke declared and moved in the direction of the cave. She drew her daggers and reached the mouth, looking around the corner for any wandering darkspawn. She breathed out in relief and walked into the opening, welcomed by blue glowing lights and…

"Thank the Maker! Deathroot!" Hawke cried in delight. That was exactly what she was after. It was a miracle that she was able to find any in such a tainted, desolate place. She rushed to it and knelt down to collect the resource. It wasn't much but it was just enough to make some Deathroot Toxin, if she ever needs it in the future. She ripped the root out of the ground, broke it into small pieces and placed them in her satchel for safe keeping.

"Hawke?" said a voice from the opening entrance. The said rogue stood up and turned around to meet the mages gaze.

"What is it Anders?" she asked, wondering what he needed at such a time.

Anders walked forward and stopped a few metres in front of her, his honey pelt cat taking a seat at his feet. "I… wanted to thank you."

Hawke raised an eyebrow. "For what?"

"For sparing my life two years ago. When I blew up the Chantry, I never got to properly thank you." He looked at her with a smile. "After that, I gained full control of Justice. We work in unison now, unless I become much too outraged. But your caring personality and your forgiveness helped me lock him away. You helped me keep moving even when everyone said I deserved to die after killing Mother Elthina. So, I couldn't possibly thank you enough. My life feels more at peace now knowing that Justice is with me, not against me."

Hawke smiled in return. "There's no need to thank me. I did what I thought was right. Besides, you are a valued member of the team, even if you and Fenris don't exactly see eye to eye."

Anders grumbled. "One day, I swear to the Maker, I will kill him."

"And watch who you are saying that to" Hawke warned.

"My apologies" the mage said. "It's just, not all mages are bad."

"He knows that. He thought of my sister as 'a decent mage.' Whatever that means. But I guess you didn't make a very good impression after the whole 'blowing up the Chantry' incident."

Anders rubbed the back of his head. "I guess. Still, I must thank you. It means a lot to me."

Hawke nodded in appreciation. "It's my pleasure. Always glad to-" a sudden rumble stooped her speech in its tracks. It got stronger and stronger, causing dust to fall from the cave roof. The duo gave each other worried glances and raced outside, Anders cat following not too far behind. "Varric! What's going on?!" Hawke yelled above the rumbling noise. She stumbled a little as she ran, slowing to a halt when she regrouped. Everyone had already gotten to their feet and closed the gap between them. Even standing still, the rumbling was ridiculously powerful; it was even strong enough to topple a pillar behind them, which so happened to be slowly falling in their direction. They had no choice but to move forward or get turned into pancakes for the darkspawns' breakfast.

"No time to explain!" Varric called. "Head to the right pathway! It's the closest!" The group wasted no time to get to the clearing and hopefully out of danger. But still, the safe zone was still far out of reach.

'We're not going to make it' Hawke thought in dread. She turned her head and watched as the large pillar was accompanied by parts of the roof, quickly gaining on them. No matter how fast they ran, the pillar was always one step ahead of them, inching closer and closer with every heartbeat. The sound of rocks grinding against one another boomed through her ears, possibly the last thing Hawke and her friends would ever hear, or the sounds of their bones crunching under the sheer weight of the falling rubble. But something strange occurred which made her slow. The sound had diminished and she dared to turn her head. Her eyes went wide as she saw the two mage soldiers using their magic to keep the earth at bay.

"Keep moving!" One of them spoke, her voice strained. "You are wasting valuable seconds!"

"What are you doing?" Varric spat. "You're going to get yourselves killed!" The dwarf watched as the mages struggled to keep the rock mass from moving, their arms shaking from the immense power. They soon fell down to one knee, bringing down the rubble with them. The male mage, the one who had disguised himself as a Templar spoke.

"Just go! I'm glad that we get to die knowing that we helped the Champion escape death. Now move!" The remaining team didn't waste any more time and headed towards the safe zone, Varric still not moving an inch.

"I can't leave you two like this!" Varric protested. The mage shook his head.

"You must. It was either two of us or all of us. This is our decision and you can't change that!" He gritted his teeth tightly. "Just promise me one thing Varric." The rogue didn't speak. "Tell my wife I love her. Now please, the others are waiting for you."

The dwarf clenched his fists but nodded in understanding, turning around and heading in the direction of his group. He looked behind him as he saw the mages give way, instantly being swallowed by the rocks and dust, which were quickly catching up to him. He was now close to the safe zone and with one final leap; he was finally safe, resting his hands on his knees to catch his breath before looking back at the mass of dust and rocks where he and his team originally were. If it were not for those mages, they would all be dead, never to be found again. Varric cringed as the others joined him.

"He was one stubborn son-of-a-bitch" he muttered, finally regaining his breath.

"There was nothing we could have done Varric" Merrill said, her voice a little croaky. "They sacrificed themselves to save us."

"Yet I wish it never had to be" Hawke said. "Whatever caused that quake, it was no accident. Someone planned that to happen the whole time. It just seemed too unlikely for it to happen when we were exactly in the pillars path."

"Maybe so, but we could have just been unlucky, serah" spoke one of the warrior soldiers. "We must keep moving. Who knows how unstable these caverns are now." Honestly, they had no other choice but to keep moving forward, since their only way out was blocked by tonnes of rubble. The team collecting themselves and began making their way further into the Deep Roads, where misery and death awaits them.

Hawke had the feeling that this was the thieves doing, trying to stop them in their tracks so that they could flee to Tevinter carefree. But the question is; were they the cause of the previous earthquakes that Varric's men encountered? Were they here right now? Spying on them, watching their every move and setting traps along the way? If so, they are far deadlier than Hawke first thought.

 **Eh, something eventful… again. But I assure you, the action is coming. Just please tell me if I need to bump up the rating. I feel like it might need to in future chapters. :/**


	5. A Thought to be Reckoned With

**New chapter, and finally some action. Not too much of it though, but there will be more later, I promise you. And the story is slowly getting to the juicy parts. The next chapter will kind of begin all the drama and crap that'll happen.  
So, here you go!**

"Behind you!" Aveline yelled just in time for Hawke to dodge the rusted longsword of a darkspawn that was aiming for her chest. With a swift movement of her left arm, her dagger made contact with her adversaries' neck. The creature let out a gurgled screech of pain before its head was cut clean from its body. It staggered for a moment before falling lifeless onto the bloodied ground. Another darkspawn didn't hesitate to take its fallen ally's place as it charged towards the rogue, bloodied hammer held above its head. They were relentless, never taking another moment to think about their actions before rushing head on into battle.

Hawke delivered another powerful cross attack with both her daggers, leaving deep gashes in the oncoming enemies' chest. That darkspawn too, staggered backwards before collapsing. She had no time to check on how the others were fairing, but she knew they would certainly put up a vicious fight until the bitter end. She just hoped that this fight wasn't going to be their end. A snarl to her left alerted her of danger. With ease, Hawke back-flipped out of harm's way. While upside-down, she threw one of her daggers into the beasts head before landing gracefully on her feet, quickly collecting her weapon from the shuddering body. "That's eight Varric!" she yelled to her competition.

Varric bared his teeth in a smile at Hawke's words. "Aw, that's too bad!" he yelled as he rolled out of the way of an incoming arrow, firing his own at the offending darkspawn dead between the eyes. "Because I now have eleven!" A darkspawn growled at him from behind, raising its sword up for the killing blow. Varric simply turned around and summoned forth the ballista within his crossbow. With a quick joust forward, the blade was deep in the monsters abdomen. It gurgled, tainted blood spewing from both its mouth and wound, before the dwarf yanked the weapon out, causing it to slump to the floor in a heap. "Make that twelve!" he corrected, enjoying the little game he and Hawke were playing despite the amount of blood and gore.

It all seemed to be going well enough, the team culling whatever got in their path, manoeuvring out of harms' way and retaliating when they see a gap, backing each other up when they were in a pinch… except for Anders and Fenris who always seemed to keep their distance from one another. "Augh!" cried one of the warrior soldiers as a rusted blade managed to find a gap between his armor, leaving a gash in his sword arm. He clenched his teeth in pain, swinging his shield and ramming the darkspawn that dared to wound him. Alas, he did not see the oncoming enemy behind him, which delivered a powerful slash to his back that shockingly pierced his armor. He gasped in pain and fell to one knee.

"Cover me!" Hawke yelled as she ran towards the wounded warrior, parrying any arrows or blades that got close to her. The group did as they were told while the Champion helped the wounded man to his feet, letting him lock his arm around her neck for support.

"Th-thank you serah" he wheezed, struggling to keep his footing as they moved away from the battle zone and to safety.

From the sidelines, Anders supported them with fire and ice, gesturing towards Hawke to bring the soldier to him. "I think I'll be able to heal him if you move a little closer to me!" he called, sending another blast of magic in the direction of a small group of darkspawn. Hawke did as she was told, trying to move as quickly as she could to get to the healer. The soldier was now getting heavy for the female rogue; she now withdrew her daggers to keep him from collapsing. "Just a little further" Anders encouraged, keeping an eye on both Hawke and the battlefield. Finally, she was close enough for the mage to work his magic. Moving his attention towards the wounded soldier, he formed a white orb in his free hand, holding the staff across his chest in the other. Slowly but unnoticeably, the light was doing its trick, mending the wounds that the man sustained. Yet the injury was so great, Anders began to struggle to keep his magic going to fully heal him.

"I won't be too much longer" he spoke. "It's just taking a little longer than I-" he suddenly paused, mouth agape. His body shuddered a bit and the light in his hand faded. Hawke went wide eyed in horror. Lodged deep into the mages back was an arrow, shot directly in the spot where his heart was. The said mage let out a gasp as he fell to his knees, his arms hung limply at his sides with his staff on the floor. He let out a cough, letting blood trickle from his mouth before collapsing onto his chest, not breathing.

"No Anders!" Hawke screamed, unable to move due to having to support the dying soldiers' weight. Fenris jutted his head in the direction of Hawke's cry of distress and saw the lifeless body of the Healer and the now vulnerable Champion. A wave of worry flowed through him when he saw a darkspawn prepare a spear in the distance. He wasted no time in rushing towards her.

"Hawke! Watch out!" he alerted. She looked at him with distress in her amber eyes, which suddenly went wide-eyed again, accidentally dropping the injured warrior who grunted in pain. She looked down to see the spear head stick clean through her chest, blood already staining her clothes. "No!" the lyrium warrior cried, unable to believe what he was seeing. Hawke again looked at him, tears welling in her eyes.

"Fenris" she muttered as she collapsed onto her side, no longer breathing, her eyes still open as she lay motionless. Everything around Fenris went up in blue and white flames, the Deep Roads no longer visible as extraordinary heat burned around him. His weapon, the Blade of Mercy was still in his hands, until it suddenly phased through them and onto the white floor, melting into the strange light and out of existence. He could feel the markings on his skin tingle, and then become uncomfortably painful, before searing pain shot through his entire being as if someone was stabbing him with a white hot poker all over. The most pain came from his markings, which glowed far brighter than normal. The pain was too much for him as he fell to his knees, not knowing what to do to ease the pain that didn't seem to subside anytime soon. A deep laugh echoed around him as he screamed in pain, the mysterious voice seeming to not care about the excruciating pain he was feeling. Around him, it was calling his name, as if it was taunting him.

"Fenris, Fenris, Fenris" it chanted, the voice going higher in pitch with every time his name was called, until it began to sound like a woman, a woman he knew all too well. Hawke. But the voice changed yet again, this time of a different woman; one that sounded awfully familiar yet he couldn't put his finger on it. The body of his love changed as well, to a new figure, one with long dark brown hair flowing around her thin, lifeless body. She wore a simple gown which was dirtied and torn, her face red as if she had been crying before she died, glassy green eyes staring blankly and elven ears covered by her thick hair. She too, seemed to have been killed the same way as Fenris saw Hawke, as blood stained her frail clothes around her heart, the spear nowhere to be seen.

The pain suddenly subsided and the flames vanished as quickly as they arrived. His eyes were squeezed shut and everything was now quiet, save for the pandemonium of heavy breathing and that same voice speaking to him. He could feel the familiar weight of his greatsword on his back.

"Hello?! I would like to speak to Fenris please if he's in there!" it spoke. Hang on, it couldn't possibly be? Could it? He cracked his eyes open and was shocked to see Hawke standing in front of him, holding his armoured hands tightly, no spear to be seen and all the darkspawn lay motionless on the ground around them. He looked at Anders who was perfectly fine and the wounded soldier, who too, was also unscathed. What in the name of the Maker was going on?

"Hawke?" he muttered, still not believing what he was seeing. But at least he was more than relieved that his love was alive. "You're okay." The Champion raised a perplexed eyebrow.

"Uh, of course I am" she spoke. "But what about you? You kind of went crazy during the battle and I had to babysit you through the rest of the battle while you stood there muttering some gibberish. What in the name of Andraste's ass happened to you?" That's exactly what he wanted to know. What was all that about? Why did he see that and why did he experience such tremendous pain?

"I… I don't have an answer to that" Fenris admitted. Whatever it was, it didn't seem good, considering the amount of pain he suffered when it only seemed to be in his head. Beads of sweat dripped down his forehead as if he was completely involved in the battle. Hawke hadn't let go of his hands yet, her grip still firm and her expression concerned. He returned the grip as a comforting sign that he was alright. "Let us keep moving. We are wasting valuable time" he said aloud, making sure everyone heard him.

"You all heard him, let's keep moving forward!" Varric called while he placed his beloved Bianca onto his back.

"We will break soon" Hawke added as she released Fenris' hands and moved to his left. "But don't hesitate to raise your voice if your wounds need to be attended to." A few moments of silence passed and a not a single word had been uttered. Hawke mentally sighed in relief. 'I guess everyone walked away from this fight with but a few cuts and bruises' she thought. She knew she was right, since no one was standing in an awkward way or grimacing in pain. Varric shrugged and began to lead the way. The group followed Varric's previous orders and continued to move further and further into the Deep Roads, giant crevices and gaps opening up and making the pathway narrower. Stalagmites rose from the cavern floor while stalactites hung lazily from the roof. If they happened to fall, they would definitely crush or impale those who were unlucky.

"Shit, not this again" Varric grumbled. Hawke smiled.

"Aw, what's wrong?" she teased. "Still haven't figured out which are stalagmites and stalactites?"

"Why don't you shout louder? I'm sure the darkspawn would be more than happy to figure out our location and cut us up into tiny pieces." Hawke let out a small chuckle.

"Well, you did have at least eight years to figure it out. Didn't you research about it at all Varric?"

"Much to my own surprise, yes. But my amusement factor was far below zero. Instead, I wrote a book about it, not much however. But enough to get a rough picture into your head." He put his fist in front of his mouth a coughed. "A soldier, on patrol with his crew, stumbles into a cavern, drunken and confused with a lack of coordination and knowledge. It's not as pleasing as I want it to be, but over time, I can give it a few tweaks." If Hawke said so herself, he should take on writing full time. But she guessed she would miss his cocky attitude, terrible puns and corny jokes. Then Hawke shuddered, but definitely not the chest hair. Eww…

Hopefully Varric's little rock problem will pass over soon or he'll forget about it, given time. To be brutally honest, Hawke found it a little funny. It was then Varric's turn to smile. "But after that little competition we had, you now owe me three sovereigns" he spoke. Fenris gave a quick glance at him. So their game wasn't a hallucination. It was actually real. Maybe they only started part way through the battle, he still didn't know. He looked at Hawke who was again returning the smile to Varric.

"Fine. But I won't go down so easily. As soon as we get home, I'm challenging you to a game of Diamondback" she declared.

"If you are buying, I won't miss it. Unless, I die down here. Then yeah, I think I may have to miss it."

"Haha. Consider that a deal."

The crew came across a small gap just big enough for everyone to squeeze through one at a time. Hawke was first to lead, with one of the soldiers guarding the back. Webs of the giant spiders filled the gap, sending shivers down her spine. If there was one thing she hated more than the Blight, it was spiders. Unfortunately, all her friends knew that thanks to an encounter with a spider far too big for Hawke's liking, which resulted her in running away, hiding behind a boulder while shuddering like crazy and praying to the Maker. It took Fenris ages to convince her that it was dead and for a few days, Varric was telling stories about the incident at the Hanged Man. Fortunately, he did not speak her name, well… that's what she heard.

A wave of relief swept through her as she made it to the opening with no creepy crawlies to be seen. Heat blasted onto her as soon as she pushed her whole body into the opening, welcomed by the ever flowing lava and the first decently sized shards of red lyrium. Like Hawke had thought before, it was strangely hotter than when she was here last, yet the heat didn't seemed to be coming off of not just the lava pits below, but the lyrium themselves, which were glowing a brighter red than normal. She could hear the grunts of everyone moving through the gap, armor scraping against the rock. When everyone was through and staring out towards the glowing scenery, Aveline wiped the sweat off her forehead.

"Sweet Maker. I can't believe how warm it is" she huffed. She would feel even hotter wearing all that armor. It was ridiculous that she wasn't wearing anything lighter.

"Well, I'm afraid to say it Red, but we have only scratched the surface of this trip" Varric stated, his hands on his hips.

Aveline frowned at the nickname. "Haven't I told you not to call me that?"

The dwarf smiled. "Don't you worry. You'll get used to it… eventually."

"Don't push it Varric" Aveline warned.

 **So, Fenris has had yet another vision of a strange woman, the love of his life being felled and Anders being killed. I guess he would have been more than happy if that part was real but alas, it wasn't. So, longest chapter yet. That is an achievement for me.  
I'm even surprised I thought about updating, since I got Inquisition a few days ago. Honestly, I'm a bit grumpy about it. Yeah, the graphics are okay but I already miss the characters from DA2. And it's a little confusing to get your head around. I regret choosing to be a two-handed warrior. DX**

 **Anyways, until next time guys (well, whoever actually reads my crappy stories.)**


	6. A Sinister Enitity

**Yep, another sucky chapter. Not as much action but stuff gets weird, like really frickin weird and I think I've made it too confusing :/  
A/N- I may bump up the rating in future chapters, since there will be more swearing, blood and gore. But if you feel like it needs to be bumped up now, please tell me.**

Bodahn stared out the window of the Hawke Estate, his hands behind his back and his head held high. It was usually quiet around here, awfully quiet now that Hawke is currently on a mission. He would always welcome her home every time she walked through the door, made sure everything was tidy, and by Hawke's request, kept Sandal under control. He could smell the faint scent of what seemed to be stew coming from the estate kitchen no far from where he was standing.

It was late; the usually bustling streets of Hightown were now quiet with the odd one or two Templars guarding the streets. He had to keep reminding himself that Hawke wasn't going to be back for a few days, maybe weeks or months, or possibly never, but he wasn't going to think that way. He had seen with his very own eyes how well Hawke could protect herself in the Deep Roads. After that Expedition many years ago, he knew that she was going to grow up a powerful rogue. He could never thank her enough that time she found his son when he wandered off. He dreaded that he was never going to see him again. But when Hawke brought him back unharmed, Bodahn couldn't have been happier to know Sandal was safe.

The said boy came rushing towards Bodahn, a worried look on his usually neutral face. "Scary lady outside!" he spoke in alarm. His foster father shook his head and turned it in his sons' direction.

"There is no scary lady, my boy" Bodahn said in his calm tone, yet Sandal seemed to completely ignore his assurance.

"Scary lady!" he spoke again, pointing out the window. Bodahn again shook his head and moved closer to the window.

"Sandal, there is no scary lady" he said and looked out of the window. "See? There's no one-" He paused, shocked. He watched the strange figure slump its way through the streets, swaying and pausing every now and then for no particular reason. Its dark colouring made it hard to see in the shadows of the streets. But once it was in the bright moonlight, Bodahn couldn't believe what he was seeing. "Sandal, lock the doors and windows. And no matter what, do not open them" he stuttered. His son did as he was told, running off to lock the front door, while he stood there keeping eye on the creature outside.

The shade drifted from side to side as it moved along, not seeming to be after anything in particular. But it was this shade that Bodahn was concerned about. It was… different, in a way that the dwarf couldn't quite put his finger on. But it looked just like your regular black/purple demon with that sinister glowing eye and claws that could tear through iron armor. He was right to be concerned when the creature turned and looked at him, its eye glowing a demonic red. The same red glow appeared on its back, before strange spikes protruded from it, growing and growing until they were at least four metres long, creating a spiky shell on its back. It was unmistakable. Those spikes were made of red lyrium, and that was not good, considering that they were on a shade, which were already powerful without the use of lyrium.

The demon looked away from the window Bodahn was standing at and faced the estate wall. It just stood there for a few seconds, doing nothing, until it suddenly brought up both of its slim, clawed arms and slashed the wall, leaving glowing red marks on them. The mark flashed and shards of red lyrium erupted from them, growing outwards until they stopped, red lightning surging through them. The dwarf took a step back from the window but continued to gaze out it, watching the alley glow a demonic red. The flames of the torches and the fireplace flickered, before blazing up in a mass of blue and white fire. Bodahn rushed down the stairs and towards the out of control fireplace, staring in fear as the fire formed a face, one he thought he'd never see again. The face of the person that's meant to be dead.

Her insane face twisted into a possessed smile and her laugh filled the room. The dwarf couldn't hear the footsteps of Sandal or Orana. Perhaps they were hiding, but where could they hide? The fire grew until the fireplace could no longer contain it, the blue flames towering above him as he continued to stare, his eyes dull and lifeless. He questioned as to why the fire was blue, not red like the lyrium that had been formed outside. The only blue fire he had ever seen belonged to those of spirits and demons who had passed. Could that be the reason? Could the lyrium be connecting the Fade to the real world? The woman's laughter continued to fill the room as Bodahn was consumed by the flames, a cry never able to escape his lips.

* * *

Fenris looked behind him, his marking tingling uncomfortably as they pressed on through the hot Deep Roads, tainted blood staining his and his companions' armor and weapons. Hawke was still by his side, looking at the path ahead, her shoulder length white hair slightly flowed as they moved. He turned his head back in the direction they were moving. He could certainly go for some wine right now. His legs were sore as were his arms and his back, not including the slight headache that was beginning to brew. He had already lost track of time down here. For all he knew, it could be the luscious rays of day up there or the black, cold darkness of night. He was already sick of seeing rocks, lava, lyrium… more rocks. It just got more tedious with each passing second and it increasingly frustrated the warrior. Being stuck down here with a hypocrite mage and a crazy blood mage didn't make the situation any better for him.

"What's wrong?" Hawke suddenly asked, not looking at him as they moved forward.

"I just have a small headache" Fenris said. It was true but it wasn't every detail.

"Nothing else bothering you? You do know you can tell me."

"Of course" he said, then looked at her. "Do you feel as if you're being watched? Like there are many eyes staring at you?" Hawke thought for a moment.

"Now that you mention it, I have been feeling that as well. And this lyrium, it's something else."

"Agreed. The lyrium here gives off an eerie vibe. It's making me feel uneasy." As he said that, Fenris glanced at one of the mass deposits of the strange ore. It glowed with energy, giving off a strange heat unlike that the lava emits. Just staring at one of them made his head spin.

"By the looks of it, more of it has grown over the past eight years. I have never seen so much of it in one place" Hawke said, her tone a little bland. It was clear she didn't like the lyrium any more than Fenris did. They passed a large deposit of the said ore, glowing brighter when they got very close. A wave of nausea rushed over Fenris, making his head swim and his markings tingle. He could hear the faint whispers of what seemed to be a young girl, speaking in a language Fenris partially knew.

"Ashkost kata. Kadanshok. Itwa-Adim. Asit tal-eb" it murmured, repeating the words over and over again.

"Please tell me I'm not the only one hearing it. If so, I think I should lay off the ale" Isabela said, her hands reading to draw her daggers if the time was necessary.

"Thank the Maker. I'm glad I'm not going insane" Varric breathed. He turned to Fenris. "This sounds like Qunlat. Is it?" The lyrium warrior nodded. He stood for a moment, listening attentively to the words that were being spoken.

"Ashkost kata, you are seeking death" he spoke, then paused. "Kadanshok, you will struggle" he continued, again pausing to hear the words. "Itwa-Adim, they all fall. Asit tal-eb, It is to be" he finished, his brow creased and his lips in a tight line. "Fasta vaas!" he cursed, his fists clenched tightly.

"Something tells me that whatever is here, doesn't seem to like us" Varric said. "I'll tell you what. This is just as creepy as the time Bartrand's estate was haunted. I still remember being hit in the head by that plate as if it were yesterday."

"Don't remind me" Hawke said, clutching the back of her head with her left hand. The whispers got louder and louder, more voices joining in, chanting those very words. The whispers grew until one voice started screaming in terror, which were followed by all the others. The group didn't dare to run, since it could be what the voices were after. They endured the pained screams of men, women and children as they forced themselves on. The lyrium covering the walls, roof and floor of the cavern flashed with each loud scream, red lighting crackling around them. Fenris' marking began to glow slightly, but instead of blue, they were red. He squeezed his eyes, the pain was returning. Hawke looked at him, concerned.

"Move away from… the lyrium" the warrior spoke, struggling to hold back a yell of pain. Hawke went to help him move away.

"Fenris? Are you okay?" she asked concerned as she helped him sling his left arm around her neck. The elf had his head facing towards the ground, cringing. He lifted his head up a little as Hawke helped him move. They needed to find a place where there was less lyrium, if there was such a place that didn't involve going back, which wasn't an option since a whole tonne of rocks blocked it. "Fenris. Are you okay?" Hawke repeated.

Fenris opened his eyes. The familiar green eyes now glowed the same red as the lyrium did, no sclera or iris visible. His markings grew brighter, his teeth gritted. "I… I don't know" he said, the pain worsening. The ground suddenly trembled again, beginning violent and relentless. The ground beneath their feet shook, causing them to lose balance. Hawke struggled to keep both her and Fenris from falling over, the pained lyrium warrior not seeming to notice to quake that surrounded him, his eyes still glowing a sinister red. The ground cracked, slowly splitting open. There was no way they could make it out of the way in time. The floor fell apart, falling into a pit of darkness. Following the chunks of stone was the team as they fell, crying out as the light from the Deep Roads became nothing.

 **What's happened to Bodahn and Fenris? Who was the person Bodahn saw in the fire? What's going to happen to Kirkwall? That, you'll have to read more to find out :D  
See? Crazy stuff is happening and I'm sorry if you're confused. But more will be revealed in the next chapter, I promise.  
Until next time guys!**


	7. From Bad to Worse

**Gah. Sorry it took so long for me to update. Not only did I have a serious writers block, but I have been so busy with exams and assignments that I couldn't keep up with the schedule. And I have had to deal with a traumatising event. Some I don't really want to say aloud.  
Anyways, I'm glad my story has some followers. Thank you guys. It means a lot to me :D  
So here is the brand new chappie. Enjoy!**

Hawke moaned as she awoke from her state of unconsciousness, sore and groggy. She slowly rolled onto her chest and pain erupted from her right arm. She could feel something lodged into it but she didn't exactly know what. She cracked her eyes open, seeing very little except for the red glow that faded, then reappeared, repeating the process endlessly. After several minutes, Hawke thought it was time she got up. Minding her injured arm, she pushed herself onto her knees. She lifted her head, fully opening her eyes in the darkness. All she could see was the rubble from what used to be the floor of the Deep Roads and the same glow she saw previously.

Now on one knee, she pushed herself up onto both her feet, clutching her injured arm. She gently grasped the very spot it hurt most, making her wince. She looked around more, since she could see much more now that she was standing up. Her head swam with a nauseous feeling as she staggered through the uneven terrain, moving towards the source of the red light. Hawke lost her balance for a moment, stumbling until she regained her balance. Finally, she was close. Her vision focussed on the one thing she could see, an armoured, glowing hand she knew all too well.

"Fenris" she spoke, quiet and hoarse. She was worried for him when his hand led underneath a large pile of rubble. If his marking were still glowing, he should be alive, right? Hawke wasted no time in removing some of the ridiculously heavy boulders out of the way, still not seeing the body that lay beneath. She struggled to push away the small boulders, let alone the large ones, thanks to pain and exhaustion. Her strength faltered as she continued to move the debris, staggering in the direction she pushed them. She breathed a shaky breath and looked up, hoping to see where she had fallen, only to see nothing but a small speck of light. She felt nauseous again, realising how far down they all had plummeted. She was lucky to have even survived such a high drop.. She again, looked down and proceeded with her work to rescue her love.

"Maker's balls. That wasn't the best way to land" called a familiar voice Hawke was relieved to hear. To be honest, she would be far more relieved if everyone else was alive, especially Fenris. She turned her head in its direction, finding an injured Varric limping badly towards her. Blood trickled down his forehead and dirt covered him from head to toe.

"Thank the Maker! You're alive" Hawke breathed.

Varric let out a small huff. "Of course I am. It's going to take more than a few rocks and falling from at least three hundred feet to bring me down" he declared, then gritted his teeth. "save for my goddamn leg. I must've landed on it funny." If she were a mage, Hawke would've healed him and the other by now. But they only had Anders, who was somewhere, and he was the only one that could help…"

"Wait! Varric, do you think you'll be able to lift a few things with your leg like that? Sorry if that's too much to ask." The Champion asked. The rogue dwarf put a little pressure on it, cringing a little.

"Yeah, I think so" he said, then looked at Hawke. "Why?" The female rogue gestured her head to the glowing hand that layed beneath the rubble. Varric instantly knew who it was. "Andraste's ass. The poor bastard."

"Then we have no more time to lose. We must get him out of there as quickly as we can" Hawke rushed, already back at work moving the boulders. Varric didn't hesitate to help her. Constantly, they resisted the urge to rest, unless they wanted to die down here. Hawke's vision blurred and she shook her head to regain her focus she was so desperate not to lose. She carefully examined which rock she was going to move, making sure it wasn't going to make the whole mound crush their warrior friends further. The red light continued to glow and fade, the process quickening with each passing second. They had to be close now. They had already made quick progress of disassembling the rock mound, yet Fenris hadn't made a single movement, and that concerned Hawke greatly. Some relief swept through her when she heard another person awaken behind her, the sound of tumbling rocks filled her ears.

"By the Dread Wolf! I did not see that coming" the Dallish elf said in an offended tone.

"Good to see that you're alive Daisy" Varric grunted, rolling aside a large boulder. Apart from a blood stain on her left shoulder and some dirt, the blood mage seemed fine, as if she hadn't even noticed the laceration on her shoulder.

"I could be better" she exclaimed, dusting herself off a bit before walking closer to the rogue duo. "say? What are you two doing? Did you lose some coin or a trinket?"

"Well, not exactly. But it's the next best thing! An elf that can rip our innards out in seconds if you make him too angry" Varric said enthusiastically. "Another helping hand here would be appreciated." Merrill looked at them, then the now small rubble mound.

"You mean to say… Fenris is underneath all that?!" By the Creators! We need to get him out of there!" she cried and was instantly flinging rocks aside not as carefully as Hawke and Varric. Even after all the hate she received from the lyrium warrior, she was always willing to lend a helping hand. She did that to everyone. That's what Hawke loved so much about her, save for when she randomly drabbled on and complained about getting lost in Lowtown all the time, hence the reason why Varric had given her the ball of twine. She no longer used it but she always had it on her just in case. Hawke, with sweat dripping down her forehead, yanked another blasted rock out the way and absentmindedly held her breath. She could see the leather armor of the person she loved.

"Remove the rocks here!" Hawke piped in delight. They were going to reach him in time. He was going to be alright. Then the glowing stopped, leaving the conscious trio in darkness. The Champions hopes and happiness were washed away and replaced with fear and dread. Maybe it was a coincidence? Maybe the glowing was only temporary, and that it finally eased the pain it was giving Fenris. Whatever she thought, she wasn't going to think negatively of this situation. She fought back the tears that threatened to fall. If she lost him, Hawke would never forgive herself. It would all wind back to Bethany again.

The last hostile boulder was pushed out of the way, revealing the elf's bloodied, bruised and dirtied body. A wave of fear swept over Hawke when she couldn't see the faintest sign of him breathing. Varric could see the fear on her face, since he too, figured out the problem. "He's not breathing" he confirmed in a mutter. 'Shit. What are we going to do?' he thought. 'Daisy isn't a healer and… hang on!' Varric turned to Merrill. "Do you know where Blondie is? We need him right now if we don't want to haul a dead body around for the rest of the journey." Hawke's face lit up a little, still masked by doubts. Always get Varric to figure out the problem.

Merrill thought for a moment, trying to think as quickly as possible. "Follow me" she said and leapt away from them and in the direction she first came from. Varric followed while Hawke sat down in the rubble and cradled Fenris' limp body, her body shuddering every now and then. Merrill looked behind her and looked at Hawke. She had never seen her in such a state. But the elf knew how it felt to lose someone close, and she wasn't going to let that happen to Hawke, not after she has already been through so much in the past eight years. Merrill turned her head back in the direction she was first headed and quickened her pace. From the dim lighting came a soft greyish glow. "Over here" she called to Varric, before turning to her right. There she found the former Grey Warden cringing in pain as he let the glowing orbs hover above a tear in his clothing near his stomach which was stained red. The only thing that remained of the wound was nothing but a small scratch. He sat himself upright as soon as his glowing hands diminished of the healing magic, leaning against the not so comfortable rock wall.

"Good to see you still breathing Blondie. How are you feeling?" Varric spoke to remove what tension he had with Merrill, since he could see the daggers he glared at her. The healer huffed.

"Just peachy" he said sarcastically. "I would be much better if we were out of these bloody caverns. It's already bringing back memories I had hoped to be rid of." The dwarf shook his head as he moved to Anders side to help him up onto his feet. "Where are the others?" He questioned, fearful that he may have lost some of his friends.

"We only know of Hawke and… Fenris" Varric muttered. "Hawke would be okay, if a serious matter hadn't occurred. And we still haven't found Aveline, Isabela or the remaining soldiers." He then glanced down to the mages feet, since they were now standing up. "And what happened to your feline friend?"

"He's alive and obedient as ever. I asked him to help find an exit out of here. We need all the help we can get right now because if we stay in this spot for too long, we will either die of starvation or lack of oxygen." His brow then furrowed and turned his attention to Merrill, giving Varric some focus to move away from where they had found the once injured mage. "Now. What of this serious matter?" he questioned. He saw Merrill's eyes sadden as he brought o up the subject.

"Well… I woke up, I found Varric and Hawke pushing boulders aside. I asked what the problem was and Hawke replied with that Fenris was underneath them. We got the rocks off of him but he wasn't breathing. Even at this very second, he still isn't and we need your help. Hawke needs your help right now," she said quietly, almost inaudible. She clasped her hands together and looked at him. "Please. Can you help them?" The mage cringed again. The elf always got himself into dire situations and nearly cost his life. And now, he was holding on to the thinnest of strings that were slowly breaking. If he didn't help, he would surely be gone for good. But then… how would Hawke feel? How would she feel if her friend didn't do anything? She would hate him until the day she died. He didn't want that, especially since he cared for her more than she thought. He was going to regret this later, but at least it would put his reputation up just that little bit.

"Where are they?" he said finally asked with slight annoyance in his tone. The blood mage gestured her hand for him to follow, and began moving away in a quickened pace. Anders, no longer using Varric for support, followed with a slight strain in his step until he could faintly see the silhouette of the shuddering Hawke. She looked up at him, tears staining her face and sobs wracking her body.

"P-Please. Help him" she cried, holding the limp and bloodied body of what used to be the person he hated the most. Reluctantly, he walked up to them, kneeled down and closed his eyes, letting the soft white orbs appear in his hands. It illuminated the tiny space once again and all the others could do was pray for a miracle.

 **A side of Hawke most wouldn't normally see? And I feel so evil doing this to everyone. But be glad that Ser Pounce-a-lot is A-Okay! I didn't want to kill him off, since he's too damn cute, but I might have to later, since he doesn't show up much.  
I'm really itching to get the next chapter up, since I think it's pretty good. Just a pre-warning. You may have to bring tissues with you if you're going to read it :P  
Until next time guys. Stay Awesome!**


	8. Pained Memories

**Bring tissues? I dunno, but this chapter is deep. The beginning is fine it's just the rest of it. Depressing out of ten.  
I was hoping to get this in sooner, but I had writers block and didn't know how to get the story up to this part. I feel as if it's a little rushed but that's your decision to judge.  
So, here you go. Enjoy!**

She let sleep creep up on her as her eyelids grew heavy. She leaned against the wall, waiting for Anders to return with any news. She thanked the Maker that they were out of that tiny little space and breathing heated air once again instead of the dusty, stale air that was slowly killing them. Even after Anders had healed Fenris, he was breathing, just alarmingly faintly, and that didn't help to ease Hawke's worries. She was just glad that he was alive. Now she was praying for him to wake up soon so they could continue on their way… or find a way out of this cursed place. Hawke would pay her arm if it meant that they would all get out of the Deep Roads alive. She just didn't want anyone else to die, not since they found the corpses of the remaining soldiers, one of them bent in an unnatural way while the others bled from their head after what would have been a result of a boulder crushing their head in such a sickening way that it made Hawke shudder the moment she thought of it.

Hawke propped herself up against a pillar, looking out to the pit of lava with the odd red lyrium dotting the cavern walls here and there. The heat no longer bothered her but the dull ache in both her head and arm irritated her. Who would have thought that a piece of rusted metal managed to find its way in and through her arm' barely missing the bone. Just the luck she needed at the moment. The strange voice were could barely be heard, but she knew they were still there, repeating their sentences in a daunting way. She was surprised she could still remember the translation Fenris had given the group when the voices were first heard, before falling into that ridiculously deep pit. Hawke shook her head. She didn't want to be reminded of what happened beforehand.

Footsteps took her out of her thoughts. Relief swept over her when she saw Anders walk around the corner with Aveline not too far behind him, Fenris using her shoulder for support. Hawke made the movement to stand up but Anders stopped her with a raise of his hand. "You need as much rest as you can in your current state. Moving will only postpone your recovery" he spoke firmly, but with sympathy in his voice as well. Hawke did as she was told and leaned back again the stone pillar again. Aveline didn't utter a word as she placed Fenris down next to Hawke, the elven warrior grimacing in pain as he was set down.

"Thank you Aveline" Hawke said with a small smile. The red haired woman nodded in acknowledgement and moved off back to where the others were. The Champion then turned her attention to Anders. "I couldn't thank you enough Anders. I'm really grateful for what you have done. It means a lot." A grin appeared on the mages face.

"Anything for a friend of mine. After all, I am a healer. It's my job," he replied and turned around, beginning to follow the path Aveline took and turned his head towards them. "I'll leave you two be for the moment. I'll come back to check up on you both." And with that said, he moved out of Hawke's vision. The rogue looked down at the dirt, using her uninjured hand to trace messy symbols into it. Fenris leaned his head up against the pillar, looking up towards the roof of the cavern, seeing nothing but black and dark red.

"How are you feeling?" Hawke suddenly asked quietly, not taking her eye off the ground as she continued to wave her finger through the dirt. Fenris turned his head in her direction and sighed.

"I could be better if my chest didn't hurt so much," he replied, a hint of annoyance in his voice. Hawke gave up with her sketching and scattered the dirt with her hand, then looked up at the white haired elf.

"Is that all you could say?" she asked, her voice cracking slightly. "Fenris, you were so close to dying. If Anders tried to heal you anytime later, you would be dead right now. And all you can say is that your chest hurts? I thought I may have lost you, and you don't even seem to care that you were nearly killed in that incident!" Fenris opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. He closed it and looked down at the ground before closing his eyes, his hair slightly covering his face. Hawke pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, minding her injured arm and placed her head on her knees.

"Maker, if you had died then and there, I would have probably just jumped off the ledge here and into the lava. I wouldn't care what the others had to say. I would just do it knowing I wouldn't be able to see you breathing ever again. I just don't want to lose any more people who are special to me. Otherwise I would go insane and get someone to kill me anyway."

Fenris gave her a glance, his expression showing both anger and despair. Hawke continued to hold her knees to her chest, leaning her head on them and sighed deeply. "Before I fell in love with you, before I had even met you, my family suffered and I, even more," she continued. "When father died, I had to help mother keep an eye on Bethany and Carver, take care of our home and most importantly, he gave me the role of protecting my family by giving me these dagger I use. And since he was an apostate, he was always being pursued by some thugs that he dispatched with ease. With him gone, it was my job to keep them away. He practically put his world on my shoulders."

" I was the person who would cower away from conflict and hide at any given moment. I hated fighting, especially if there was bloodshed involved. When Bethany and Carver began their training, they made me join, saying that they could now help themselves and that now it was time for me to help myself. Of course I agreed. I wanted to show them what an older sister could do if she had a little faith. When I practised, I always saw mother at the corner of my eye, smiling. It made me happy knowing that she was there to help all three of us."

"When the fifth blight came and consumed Lothering, as you have heard, the four of had were forced to flee the only place we truly knew as home. We found Aveline and her late husband, Wesley who succumbed to the blight just after we lost Carver to the darkspawn. When my brother died, I knew that our family was slowly falling apart piece by piece, and that each piece fell onto my shoulders, slowly weighing me down with despair until I couldn't take it anymore. Bethany was just another one of them. You witnessed that as well. I could do nothing but watch on as my little sister slowly became one of them, her voice begging for me to put her out of her misery…" Fenris cringed, the memory vivid in his mind. He watched as the tears spilled down the Champion's face as she plunged her dagger into her little sisters chest, watching her cry out in pain before going limp.

Hawke used that moment of pause to take a breath and lick her lips. "Yes, I was glad I was out of the Deep Roads then, me saying over and over again that I would never dare to take another step back in there," she smiled sadly. "Well, I can taste the irony in that." Her smile was quick to fade. "Then came the mysterious murders. As soon as Gamlen mentioned White Lilies, I feared for the worse, hoping for it all to be just a bad dream, only for it to be a nightmare I can't wake up from. When I saw the state the maniac had put my mother in, I was seething in rage, and I was more than glad to kill that piece of shit. And when I cradled my dying mother, I knew it truly wasn't her. It wasn't her skin, her eyes, nothing except her calm voice was all that I could recognise. The last thing she said to me was "I'm so proud of you." But I don't understand. How she could be proud of me after what had happened throughout the years?! Was I meant to just live life knowing that I let my whole family die when I promised father I would protect them?"

"Then, when I returned home, you came, and I couldn't have asked for anyone better to comfort me. It was like you washed all my pain and stress away, until you had to leave. It all came rushing back to me again. I cried myself to sleep that night, wishing that it would all end." Hawke stretched her legs out in front of her and leaned her head against Fenris' shoulder, the warrior holding her hand and leaning his own head onto hers for comfort. She continued to speak, but quietly. "Til this very day, I'm still afraid of dying… but at the same time… I'm not keen on living either. I just don't know what to do anymore," she finished, tears spilling down her face. Hawke turned her head and cried into the elf's shoulder, hugging him as she let her emotions flow free. Fenris returned the hug, rubbing her back soothingly with closed eyes. He didn't know what to do either. He too, had lost his whole family, mostly without even knowing he had one.

"Hawke. I'm so sorry" Fenris started, opening his eyes and looking at the ground. "Even after the two years we ran as fugitives, I never asked if anything was wrong. I only thought about my selfless acts and didn't ponder the thought of asking if you were okay. If only I had known, I would have done the best I could to make you happy." He leaned away from her and lifted her chin up, wiping the tears away from Hawke's red face. That put a small smile on her face.

"That's the thing, if I hadn't met you, I don't think I would be here. The team, especially you, are the only reasons why I'm still walking," Hawke said, her voice a little hoarse. She hugged him again in which he returned. "I'm sorry you had to see me like this." Fenris shook his head.

"Don't be. You've been masking your emotions for much too long. I'm just glad you have told me, and that you are no longer hiding it. And don't believe that I'm not here for you. I have said it before and I hope you've remembered it, that you are very special to me…" Fenris said, a soft smile on his usually broody face.

 _The Gallows were quiet and dull, the murmurs of both Hawke and Fenris not as audible as the Templars that lay anxiously waiting. Fenris slowly moved his head in the rogue's direction. "I… may not be able to say this again but… meeting you was the most important thing that happened to me Hawke," he said in a soft voice, those very words making Hawke's heart flutter despite the chaos surrounding them. He walked up to her and placed an armoured hand onto her cheek. "Just promise me you won't die out there… I can't bear the thought of living without you." Hawke could feel the honesty in his words. And with the warmth of his touch, it made her feel even calmer. She gave him a meaningful smile._

 _"I won't keep that promise, unless you do," she said as calmly as possible, ignoring the adrenaline rushing through her body. If this was going to be their last time together, if either her, Fenris or both of them were to perish on the battlefield, they would want to truly express themselves before going into the battle that could possibly their last._

 _Fenris' eyes filled with determination as he looked directly into her eyes. "nothing will keep me from you" he spoke clearly and pressed his lips onto hers in a deep passionate kiss. Hawke didn't bother to stop the tears from spilling from her eyes. She just hoped this wasn't going to be the last time._

Hawke gently nodded her head, wiping a tear away. "I never doubted for a moment that you weren't lying. I've been through enough pain, suffering and torture to know I wasn't going to let that battle take me or you. But still… None of us knows what the future holds. And we can only do what we can to make it one we won't regret." She looked at Fenris with a smile. "And, I want to thank you."

Fenris blinked, confused. "I'm… sorry?" he questioned, unsure of what to say. Hawke simply shook her head, her snow-white hair flowing with each shake.

"Let me finish. Thank you for helping me find a reason to keep moving forward, helping me find a reason to live and especially…" Hawke paused and looked at him. "And thank you… for just simply being you." That earned Hawke a smile from Fenris.

"Thank you… Marian," he said, happiness audible in his tone. Finally, he was doing something he knew was right and finally, he felt calm and at peace after so many years of running from everyone he thought he trusted. He leaned towards the rogue, letting their lips brush against one another before melting them into the kiss he'd been wanting for so long.

 **Why am I such an evil human being?! I feel like the finishing of each chapter is becoming repetitive and I don't want that. It's annoying because I don't know what to do to fix that! DX  
Oh well, I hope this was okay. I'll try to get the next one up, if I'm not neck deep in studying and assignments as I usually am.  
Until next time, stay awesome!**


	9. It's My Fault

**Finally, schools out and six weeks for me to get some chapters up. God, when I was writing this, I feel awfully rusty. It has been a bit since I actually wrote but I guess this is better than nothing.  
So, here it is, my extremely poorly written chapter.**

It wasn't much but it was better than nothing. With what she had, Hawke rationed her food carefully, stuffing a small piece of stale bread into her mouth. It almost did nothing to subside her hunger. It only made her want to eat more, but she knew she couldn't despite having fewer mouths to feed. None of them knew how long they were going to be in the Deep Roads before they reached the thugs and make the long trek home again. It didn't help Hawke's annoyance that they when they did start going home, they would need to find another route through the caverns thanks to the blasted cave in. Just the luck they needed right now.

Hawke was still stiff and sore, yet she couldn't afford to rest any longer, and the brief nap she had just made her feel even more exhausted. She tucked the remaining piece of bread back into its little sack and placed it into the rucksack she was carrying, which pressed against the daggers she had on her back, further irritating her. At least they hadn't bumped into any darkspawn yet, much to her relief. No one was in any condition to fight, and Anders could only do so much to help everyone. Hawke's arm was throbbing painfully, Varric wasn't walking right, Merrill still seemed to not have noticed she was wounded in the first place, Fenris was doing far better now since he had a fairly decent rest, Isabela was still holding her stomach in pain, Aveline masked her pain but Hawke could see she was uncomfortable with each step, and Anders glanced over everyone with each passing second, checking their state.

The Champion shook her head slowly. She was just hoping they would find the mercenaries sooner rather than later, for the benefit of the whole team. Her thoughts then trailed to the soldiers who were now dead. She was going to have fun telling their families what happened to them. She just prayed to the Maker that she would be able to get it over and done with as soon as she got back home.

They passed another section of red lyrium, both Hawke and Anders keeping a close eye on Fenris as they did. Thankfully, he didn't react to it, but Hawke still worried that it could happen again. The whispers were almost inaudible now, but could just be heard if she focussed on the noise through the clatter of metal against metal and feet to dirt. They were mysterious, yet daunting at the same time. Hawke didn't know what was causing those voices but she knew for sure that it was unnatural. The lyrium must slowly be corrupting her mind, all their minds until they went insane. She was just glad the cursed crystals decided to reside in here, and not on the surface.

Climbing up a small mound of rocks, Hawke and her team reached another wide room, a large pit of lava in its centre and the dreaded lyrium spiking out from the walls. A body layed half dangling over the edge of the lava pit and Aveline wasted no time into checking who or what it was. She walked over to it, leaving the rest of the team behind her as she pulled the fairly scorched body from the pit by its legs and turned it over, revealing a blistered face with his eyes rolled into the back of his head and mouth agape. His hair was so singed, it was shrivelled and black. Only a few small patches of brown hair were visible. Hawke grimaced at the sight as she walked to Aveline's side, waiting for her to speak.

"He's very disfigured to make out exactly who he was," Aveline stated, giving the body another glance. "But from what I can make out, he's one of the three thugs we are after." Hawke too, looked the body over, but couldn't see a single stab wound or laceration on his body. His neck however, was severely bruised.

"It seems he was strangled," Hawke pointed out, which made Aveline also look at his neck.

"I guess he was tortured, possibly by burning him with magic or the mere heat coming from this pit, then strangled to death and left here to burn." Varric chuckled.

"And since when were you into murder cases Red?" he asked, folding his arms. Aveline, who furrowed her brows at the nickname, looked at the dwarf.

"It's part of my job Varric," she said. "If a criminal dies before they are apprehended, I must predict what caused their death and file it for future use." Varric simply rolled his eyes.

"He couldn't have possibly been killed by his allies. None of them were mages."

"So? That doesn't mean they didn't kill him. Greed could have caused their actions. Sooner or later, the other two are going to fight over the rest of their prize, making our job much easier."

"And the reason why we don't leave them to just take the stuff is…?"

"Umm… hello? You two aren't the only living things on Thedas," Hawke interrupted, her hands on her hips. Aveline cleared her throat.

"My apologies Hawke," she replied. "I get much too engrossed in my job, don't I?" Hawke nodded slightly, her arms folded across her chest. The red-haired warrior sighed to herself with a small smile. 'Besides, I don't think the information will arrive back at the Viscountess' Keep in short time. We have already journeyed far into the Deep Roads and the pathways are continuously being blocked off by the whole cavern collapsing. Who knows if there's even a route back home.' Aveline thought. 'If… we are lucky enough to survive this mess.'

Aveline moved away from the charred and shrivelled body that lay at her feet and moved towards the door on the other side of the one they came out of. She pushed it open and was welcomed my more hot air and the smell of death. The stench wafted through the room, earning displeased from the team as they either wrinkled their noses in disgust or held them to ward it off as much as they could. It took Aveline a moment to examine the area they were about to venture into, and another moment to believe what she was actually seeing.

"Maker's breath. I cannot believe what I'm seeing right now," she breathed, both awe and fear audible in her tone of voice.

Isabela was quick to be behind her, eyes gleaming. "Please tell me there's something decent through these doors. Perhaps some ancient loot?" The injured pirate didn't wait for Aveline to answer and she nudged her out of the way, eager to see what had stopped the brave hearted knight captain.

"Rivaini, hold on a second!" Varric called to his friend, but it was too late. She vanished out of both Varric's and Aveline's sight as she ventured further into the room, muttering words under her breath. For an injured person, she was still quick on her feet. Varric quickly turned to Hawke.

"We can't just simply let her wander in there by herself!" he said aloud, getting everyone's attention. He drew his crossbow and held it firmly; ready to fire at anything that appeared or was threatening. "While we were here, I promised that no one would die on my watch, and that's come back to bite me in the ass. I'm not losing any of my friends, despite how deranged we all are. To me, you all are my family and I can't afford for it to fall apart."

Hawke nodded in agreement. "That's why I'm going in there by myself" she declared with a determined expression, earning horrified glances from everyone.

"Now do you see what I mean by deranged?!" Varric yelled. "Hawke, are you out of your bloody mind. We don't even know what's in there. For all we know, there could be a horde of darkspawn in there. You couldn't possibly take them on with only you and Rivaini. It's suicidal!"

Fenris, the most shocked out of the group, grasped Hawke's hands in his and squeezed them tightly. "No! I will not allow it!" He yelled, ignoring the pain he earned from the movement. He looked into her eyes, seeing the determination that masked what fear was visible in her eyes. "It is my job to protect you, and that I will. I'm not letting you go in there without me or anyone else!"

Hawke looked at him for a second, and then glanced at everyone else. "If you guys don't know it yet, it was my fault that we are here in the first place. And I'm going to make this right." She said, pulling away from Fenris' grip, leaving him staring at the ground in pure shock. Varric slowly lowered Bianca, an angry look on his face.

"Andraste's ass Hawke, what the hell are you talking about?! They are nothing but simple thugs messing with the law," he growled. Hawke stood at the door with her daggers in her grasp, Aveline just to her left. The rogue swivelled around, tears running down her face.

"Don't you understand? All the people that were killed during the war, their families, blamed me for their deaths. Even my own Uncle blamed me for the death of mother when it wasn't even my fault! Those thugs, are what remains of their families, and they risk their own lives just to see me and the people I care about perish." Hawke cried out. She turned around again and took a few steps into the next room. "No matter what you guys do, it is always my responsibility to take care of you guys. And if that means I die, then so be it. But I'm going to get Isabela without you guys. I'm not going to risk losing any of you." With those words spilt, she ran into the dreaded room and slamming the door behind her, leaving everyone too shocked to move.

Fenris slumped to his knees, his arms hanging limply at his side. The unfamiliar feeling of crying overwhelming his body as a single tear slid down his cheek.

 **Nope, don't really like this one. I feel as if everyone is out of character, and I've just made Hawke a depressed jerk. What do I do now?! Hopefully I can try to fix it. If I can't then there goes all my hard work -_-  
I hoped you guys have enjoyed it as much as you can. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll take all my rage out on Darks Souls 2.  
Until next time guys.**


	10. A Foolish Decision

**Hi guys, I just want to thank you all for reading this epic fail of a fanfic. It's not my best, but it's not my worst either. I'm just glad there are just a few people out there who like this. It makes me happy to know I'm not writing this for no reason.  
And, sorry for keeping you waiting. Things have been… well… chaotic. I'm relieved to get this chapter up.  
So here you go. Enjoy.**

 _He was smacked across the face again, sending him spiralling to the ground for another time. His face hurt from the sheer strength of each hit he had received, and now he could feel his left eye beginning to swell. Leto strained his exhausted body to get up, if he didn't want another slap to the face again. And Danarius didn't even seem to care how tired he was. He just stood there, waiting with his hands held behind his back._

" _Get up," the magister spoke curtly, staring down at the bruised elf as he struggled to his feet, his arms shaking under his weight. Moments passed, and Leto was on his feet, swaying a bit with his eyes barely open. The concrete floor was cold against his bare feet and his hands were covered in grazes and scratched from when he tried to break his fall. He wanted to retaliate so badly. He wanted to punch Danarius' lights out until he drew blood. But with so many mages watching on, especially Hadriana, he wouldn't even be able to lay a finger on him without being swarmed. Leto reluctantly waited for what was to come. He didn't dare to look at Danarius eye to eye. Leto didn't want to receive another whack if he did._

" _Come, Fenris," the mage said, using the name he gave Leto. It made him wince every time he said it. Even after a year, he hadn't gotten used to the name. All he wanted was to return to his mother and sister, who were probably being beaten at this moment. Obeying his master, Leto followed him into another room, fairly bigger than the one he was previously in, but the cleanliness was at its worst. Mould and moss gripped on to whatever stone they could. The room was poorly lit by nothing but torches dotting the walls. The room made Leto's skin crawl. He wanted to run, but Hadriana blocked his escape route, as did many other mages, wielding fire, ice, lightning or blood magic._

 _Danarius stopped in his tracks quickly, causing Leto to just stop in time to prevent himself from bumping into the magister, which could have possibly earned him a lash on the back… or far worse. He watched the older man glance to his right, eyeing off a glistening object in the middle of the room. Leto followed his glance, also seeing the shining item from a distance. He didn't dare want to know what it was. For all he knew, it could be another way of torturing him. From the corner of his eye, he saw another group of mages with a wary looking soul between them; the chains bounding him clinked as he moved. The other elf looked exhausted and could barely keep his head up, his orange hair matted and covering his eyes._

 _Leto watched the mages move into position as they yanked at the elf's chains, causing his whole body to be hauled up, revealing his lifeless blue eyes and the symbol that every mage dreaded on his forehead. The symbol of the Tranquil._

" _A slave, very much like you, that attempted to escape. He was punished, and now you will put him out of our misery," Danarius declared as he went to pick up the gleaming object not far from him. The sound of metal against stone could be heard in the quiet room as the magister picked up the item and turned around, moving towards the younger male and handing him the one thing Leto dreaded to hold. Its curved edge shimmered in the light of the burning braziers, making the blade look even more formidable. Patterns etched the blades surface in spirals and dots. Leto wanted nothing more than to drop the dagger, but he had no choice but to face what he dreaded._

 _Danarius gave him a not-so-encouraging nudge, pushing him forward towards the tranquil. He held the blade limply in his hands, staring at the person he was about to kill. As he towered over his form, the former mage didn't stir. He simply stared at Leto with emotionless eyes. He then turned to his master, as if he wanted to check if he had changed his mind, but the magister just simply stood there with his hands behind his back. Leto reluctantly turned his head back and pressed the blade to the slaves throat, his body quivering in fear._

" _I'm sorry…" he said and let the blade run across the tranquils' throat._

She was a fool to have left by herself. And now the tears wouldn't stop. She had pretty much put herself into a position that made suicide seem worthwhile. And now she possibly wasn't going to see everyone again. At least she was going to see her whole family again at the Maker's side.

Hawke walked through the steaming room, currently surrounded by red lyrium, rocks, corpses… more rocks and no sign of Isabela whatsoever. Maker knows how far she's already gone. And what was she thinking? Running off without another seconds thought. "Idiot" Hawke breathed. But mainly, it was more targeted to her than it was to the Pirate. Another foolish mistake she had made which could possibly result in the cost of her life. She may as well try to find Isabela while she still had the time.

All the rooms and corridors seemed exactly the same, which daunted the rouge even further than venturing the Deep Roads by herself, while trying to find someone who was currently on the move. It worried her that she couldn't find Isabela, and she was even more worried of encountering darkspawn and shades while she was here. And no matter what she did, she couldn't shake the whispers out of her head, as if they were a fly that wouldn't stop pestering you and you couldn't see where it went. Let's just hope the voiced wouldn't linger. And since after what they did to Fenris, she didn't want to go entirely insane just yet. She wanted to call out the Pirates name, but she didn't want to risk attracting any attention. It would make the whole "searching for the perverted pirate" much easier, but the shorter path would always be the most dangerous one.

Hawke entered another room, giving her a sick feeling. It looked exactly the same as the one she was previously in, yet all the doors were shut. Just the mere sight of this room made her head hurt. And the fact that it was awfully quiet, making it even more unbearable. Urging herself forward to save her the mere torture, she headed to the door to her left, only to be suddenly stopped by a sharp pain erupting from her ankle. Letting out a cry of pain, she looked down at the offending appending to see nothing but horror. Clasped around her ankle, was a rusted bear trap, taunting her with deep wounds and severe infection. She couldn't help but yell again as the pain worsened quickly, causing her to carefully fall to her knees. She didn't dare pry it open, in case her hand was to slip and trap the limb further.

"Shit. Hawke? Is that you?" called a voice she was all too happy to hear.

* * *

Anders couldn't just simply stand there and let Hawke walk to what possibly could be her death. He was going to do something about it. Taking his staff off his back, he paced to the door and proceeded to push it open. Before he could take a step into the next room, an armoured hand grasped his arm and yanked him back. Turning head to the offender, he met the glare of Fenris, who had unshed tears welled in his eyes.

"You will keep away from her, mage filth!" he spat, his greatsword drawn. "I'm not letting the likes of you go to her aid. Not when you caused so much havoc in Kirkwall." His mind went to the memory flash he just had. "And especially after all the suffering I have been through!"

"I have every right to take care of her. And what can a Tevinter slave-" Anders paused at Fenris lifted his weapon to the healers throat, rage burning like fire in his eyes.

"I am not a slave. And I no longer live in Tevinter, nor do I want to go back there" he growled, pressing the blade further, the tears fading.

"Oh for the love of- Will the both of you stop trying to get at each other's necks?!" Aveline yelled, causing Merrill to jump slightly. The red haired warrior pinched the bridge of her nose. "Threatening to kill one another isn't going to bring Hawke and Isabela back. And you two are certainly not making this mission any easier. If you don't put each other's hate aside, I will not hesitate to throw either of you into the lava!"

The two withdrew their weapons and gave each other cold hard stares, before finally turning their attention to the Captain of the Guard, who will still silently fuming underneath her armour. She turned her attention to the closed door and began pushing it open, using her right side of her body to shove it open. With the sound of concrete against rock, it was open, Aveline taking her sword out of its sheathe and removing her shield from her back.

"Now I don't care who got us into this mess. What I do know is that I'm not going to stand here scratching my ass. I've already loss someone dear to me and I'm not losing another. Either you four are with me or not, I don't care," she called firmly, gripping the hilt of her sword tightly. Varric was soon to draw his crossbow.

"I'm with Red," he confirmed.

Merrill was next to bring forth her staff, gripping it shyly in both her hands. "I may be a blood mage, but I won't risk losing the first friend I truly made," she said, showing off her determination despite her stance she was currently in.

"Hawke is my friend too. And she helped me find a reason to live. Now it's time for me to return the favour. I'm not letting her die when I have so much debt to return to her," Anders said, giving Fenris another eye off.

"No one is leaving without me. If Hawke dies, I will never forgive my actions" Fenris stated, cringing in anger just thinking about finding Hawke's lifeless body on the ground. He shook the thought out of his head, not thinking about the negatives. Gathering together once again as a true team, they made their way through the door, met by nothing but silence and scorching heat. Not knowing what layed ahead of them, the group kept their weapons at the ready as they moved through the corridor and into a new room, similar to the one they were just in, except for the pit of lava in the centre was absent. A vibrant shard of red lyrium spurted from the walls suddenly, giving them a jolt of surprise and causing Merrill to send a bolt of electricity in its way. They watched the bolt of energy collide with the lyrium, only for it to be absorbed and rendered unharmed from the sudden attack. The only thing that changed was that the jewel now glowed brighter than before, causing Fenris to clutch his head in pain. Varric noticed and waved his arm to the others.

"The lyrium's affecting Broody again. We need to get out of here before things get worse!" he called and rushed to the closest door, using the force he had with his run to shunt it open. The other stumbled through after him into yet another familiar room, but with no lyrium growing. They looked towards the room they were just in, watching as the whole area began to glow a sickening red, again causing Fenris trouble. He kneeled, clutching his head. The other simply watched on as the glowing suddenly stopped, also subsiding the pain the tattooed elf was experiencing. The group withdrew their weapons, knowing they were in the safe for the time of being.

Merrill looked down, ashamed. "I'm so sorry everyone. I didn't mean to cause any of you trouble. I'm afraid I've made matters worse," she mumbled, bowing in apology.

"Daisy, it's fine," Varric assured as he watched Fenris regain his composure and stand back on two feet. "The question is what in the name of Andraste's sacred knickers just happened with that lyrium? It just… absorbed Daisy's magic."

"Powerful magic lies here" the Tevinter elf spoke, finally placing his weapon on his back. "And from what we have seen, the lyrium seem to be feeding off of the magic that lay dormant in these caverns." Aveline just looked at him.

"And you are certain about this?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I have read about red lyrium feeding off of powerful magic deposits, to grow and to spread. But at the rate this is happening, I fear it could be something more," Fenris clarified. "And if we-" he paused, his ears perking slightly. He turned his head away from his team with wide eyes.

"What is it elf?" Anders asked, looking in the same direction that he was.

"I… heard a voice" he said slowly, not too sure if what he heard was real or a figure of his imagination. The others remained silent, waiting to hear the voice. And there it was again, a wail, a muffled scream, a plea for help. And another voice followed. Fenris could only hear a little of what that voice said, but both he and Merrill could make out whom that voice belonged to.

"That was Isabela!" Merrill breathed. "Please tell me that she's okay?"

"Then who was that other voice?" Aveline, but instantly realised that was a terrible question to ask.

"Hawke!" they all said in unison, watching as they saw Fenris panic a little before heading in the direction he heard the voice, using his strength to shove the door open. Another empty room, almost identical to the one they were just in.

"Is anyone else getting the feeling of déjà vu?" he called as he followed Fenris' lead, letting him open yet another door. No one responded ad he understood completely. They were more focussed on the task at hand rather than bother looking at their surroundings. 'Let's just hope were not too late. I hate to arrive and there's are a whole mob of demons just waiting to tear us limb from limb. Hopefully, luck is going to be on our side and we get there soon.' Varric thought, clenching his fists tighter as he ran, making his fingers slightly numb.

 **I assure you, the next chapter will be a bit better and it will follow the summary a little more. But don't worry, this story is nowhere near finished. I have plenty more ideas up my sleeve that I wish to put up.  
So, I hope this chapter was lengthy enough at roughly 2,400 words. My goal next chapter is to make it a little bigger, but not too much.  
Again, thank you to those who are reading this and my other fics, it means a lot.  
Until next time guys! :D**


	11. Fallen Versus the Living

**Okay, so the big surprise is yet to come. But I am certain it will be next chapter, now that I have it all planned out. And I hope I can write it all quickly so none of you will have to wait (even though it may be a little hard since I've recently gotten a few new games :P)  
So, here is the next chapter. Enjoy!**

Hawke cringed in pain as the magic did its work, healing the open wounds and infection that dared to make her ill. She could feel the bones in her leg sliding back into place, slowly and painfully, but not as painful as it was when the trap was clasped on it tightly. The said trap was discarded, nothing but magma in the lava pit nearby. Blood stained the cloth covering her leg and parts of it were torn where the jaws had made contact. She leaned into Fenris' neck as he held her close for comfort, hearing nothing but her sobbing apology after apology.

"Shh," the elf soothed, stroking her head as Anders continued with his work. Watching the mage using his magic reminded him of the time he was in Tevinter and the time he was at the brink of death several times. He may not have always liked magic. Hell, he absolutely despised it to the point that he'd kill any mage he crossed paths with. But thanks to Hawke, and somewhat Anders, he had grown a little less cold hearted to those who wielded magic instead of bows or blades. He still hated it though. No matter how much someone tried to persuade him that it was fine, deep down inside he would always hate it, until the day he died.

"It's done" Anders said as the light orbs faded from his palms, his feline friend letting out a meow of confusion as the welcoming light vanished. Hawke turned her head to her now healed ankle, then to Anders, who she could see was utterly exhausted after so much use of his healing magic. She gave him a warm smile as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Thank you" she replied as steady as she could, moving her once injured limb to test it out. It felt like nothing had even happened, saved for the dull throb every now and then. Anders smiled back at her, glad that she was okay.

"Just be glad it wasn't ridded with poison. Otherwise we would have been stuck here for the night. Well… if it is night up on the surface" the healer said, standing up from his kneeling position with the help of his staff. "I'll tell the others that you've recovered fine. Just come to us whenever you are ready to depart." He walked towards the other group, who were glaring daggers at a sheepish Isabela who kept on declaring it wasn't her fault that she ran off. Typical Isabela. Always trying to pry her way out of trouble. Hawke once again snuggled against Fenris' neck, in which he put his chin on top of her head.

"I'm glad that you're okay" he whispered, stroking her head once again. "What were you thinking? You could have gotten killed." The last word that came out of his mouth made her wince slightly. She could have gotten killed if it wasn't for Isabela.

"Thank the bear trap for that. If I didn't get caught in it, Isabela would have never found me. And if she hadn't found me, she wouldn't have been yelling continuously to lead you all to us both" Hawke stated, calmed by Fenris' petting. "I guess when we get home; I'll certainly have to buy her some drinks… if we get home that is." Fenris moved his head away, causing Hawke to look up at him. He had a soft smile on his face.

"You like to doubt your actions, don't you?" he teased slightly.

"Well, yes. What I did was rather foolish. Ah, what am I saying? I was attempting suicide," Hawke declared, gesturing her hand slightly as she spoke. "I don't know what came over me when I did that. Do you think the lyrium is affecting my mind also?"

Fenris thought for a moment before he proposed his answer. "It may be possible. Even after our experience with a cluster of lyrium before we found you and Isabela." Hawke gave him a questioning look, but didn't dwell on it as she tested out her ankle by raising herself to her feet, with the aid of Fenris. She wobbled slightly, using the tattooed elf for balance, but quickly regained her composure as she properly put weight onto it. She let go of the warrior, who quickly grabbed her hand for comfort. She gestured to the remaining group and slowly walked towards them, Fenris glued to her side.

"So, about the lyrium. What exactly happened?" Hawke asked, her curiosity getting the better of her as her memories of the recent incident faded out of her mind. Fenris opened his mouth to speak, only to be interrupted.

"I'll tell you what happened. It was the creepiest shit that you could ever see. Save for the statue of Meredith that's still in the middle of the Gallows after all this time" Varric said with a smile. Hawke shuddered. She didn't want to be reminded of that insane woman. She was long dead, or so they thought. But the statue hadn't dared move or make a sound, relieving the Champion slightly of her worries.

"Creepy as in?" Hawke tried to persuade him to continue with what he was saying. She hoped to squeeze him dry of the information about this strange happening.

"Well. Let's just say Daisy almost shit her breeches, sent a bolt of lightning towards a deposit of lyrium and caused it to having a massive party, and making Broody curl into his little ball of hatred" the dwarf summed up, earning a glare from the 'brooder.' Hawke couldn't help but let a smile creep onto her face.

"Why do you make bad things sound so innocent Varric?" she questioned. The crossbow wielder just smiled.

"May as well lighten up the damp moment" Varric stated, placing a hand on his exposed chest. Hawke simply rolled her eyes as she used her free hand to tuck a curl of her hair behind her ear.

"Are we ready to go on? If your ankle is up for the challenge that is" Aveline asked. Hawke nodded confidently, turning her direction back to the dwarven rogue.

"Where to now, oh brave ser dwarf?" Hawke asked in her most formal voice as she took a bow. Varric placed a hand under his chin, thinking for a moment while looking at his surroundings.

"From what I can tell, all the rooms are built almost identically to confuse thugs that tried to steal valuable treasure from deeper within. So, we could be nearing a vault or possibly, a thiag. But this time. We don't have Bartrand to screw us over for a second time" Varric mumbled, remembering the time when the lyrium caused his older brother to go insane. "The question is, which way is the right direction?" This made the team look at each door in a mass of swivelling heads, scanning each concrete door before moving onto the next. Merrill moved to the door to their right, placing her hand on the warm concrete.

"I'm sensing powerful magic on the other side of this door. Whatever it could be, it could be guarding something" Merrill spoke aloud, hoping that everyone heard what she had said. They all moved towards her, drawing their weapons from their backs.

"If you are correct Kitten, that means valuable loot" Isabela said, licking her lips.

"And possibly a large horde of darkspawn" Anders finished, moving close to the elven mage. "If I may?" he asked, which Merrill politely stepped out of the way. The healer and his trusty feline, moved in front of the door, Anders hand on the concrete in preparation to open it. Turning his head to his comrades, he spoke. "Is everyone ready?"

They all nodded, feeling the tension rise. Anders turned his attention back to the door. With a forceful shove, the door was quickly opened, followed by the stench of decaying flesh and growls of hunger. His suspicions were correct, as the whole team charged forward with their battle cries.

Aveline was first to make a move on a nearby darkspawn, sending her blade slashing diagonally across the mutants' chest. Tainted blood spurted from the wound as the beast gurgled in pain before collapsing, motionless. Another darkspawn was quick to replace its fallen ally's place as it charged the red headed warrior head on. With a war cry, Aveline also charged at the creature, her shield held up and slashing any creatures that dared to interfere with her assault.

Varric spun around just in time as a darkspawn knocked an arrow into its bow, the dwarf sending his own bolt spiralling into the creatures head. He smiled as he delivered another arrow to a charging undead. One to the chest, then another to its neck. Hearing a hiss to his left, Varric rolled out of the way just in time as a rusted blade came down on the spot he was previously standing on. In retaliation, he charged at the creature with ballista drawn, impaling the darkspawn with such a forceful shunt, it was forced to drop its only item of defence. The creature gurgled a cry, muffled by its own blood filling its mouth, before going limp. Varric yanked the blade out of the darkspawn with a now disgusted look on his face. Blood had stained his favourite coat.

Hawke dodged sideways in a cartwheel, before hacking off the head of an incoming darkspawn. To add to her assault, she threw one of her daggers into another's' chest, causing it to collapse to the floor shuddering. Hawke ran forward to retrieve her other weapon, stabbing her other dagger into a darkspawns head as it rushed after the dagger in its ally's chest. There was no way she would let a disgusting creature like that get a hold of her weapons. If any of them did, they were simply asking to be killed. The Champion retrieved her beloved dagger from the limp corpse before uneven footsteps were heard from behind her, followed by a dry hiss. Hawke turned her head and placed her daggers in a cross pattern out in front of her to block a sword that was aimed for her head. She parried it away and then countered.

Anders sent a fireball in the direction of a darkspawn alpha, causing the now heated armor to burn what it was meant to be protecting. The beast screamed as its flesh burned, causing it to slowly tumble to the ground with the smell of burning flesh. A small group of darkspawn made their way towards the former Grey Warden in a mass of rot and bloodthirst, and Anders knew exactly what to do with them. He summoned forth fire in both of his hand and thrust them forward, sending an incredibly large fireball hurtling towards the small horde of taint. Screeches pain could be heard over the sounds of hunger and the smell of burnt flesh grew stronger with each passing second.

Isabela elegantly danced with her daggers around the battlefield, felling any that got too close and aiding her allies if they got even the slightest outnumbered. She didn't stay fixed in one spot as she rushed around, decapitation after gory decapitation. Dark red blood covered her bone-white clothes as she grimaced in disgust. She ducked under a halberd that threated to meet her neck, only for it to slice nothing more but a few strands of her hair, and leave a tiny cut on her cheek that was enough to draw a sliver of blood. As soon as she regained her balance, she thrust her daggers into the darkspawns stomach several times as she held its dependant arm. The creature let out a hiss with each blow, before no longer uttering a sound. She let go of the motionless body and quickly side stepped to avoid a sword, sending her dagger into the intruders' neck.

Fenris slashed upwards from the chest up, almost splitting the darkspawns head in half. He smiled as the creature fell before him, and then moved to his next victim. The Blade of Mercy did its job, piercing through tough armour as if it were made of paper and destroying what it was meant to protect. The warrior slashed horizontally, culling five darkspawn at once. He rushed forward to continue his assault, checking on Hawke as he fought. He put his greatsword up just in time for an arrow to harmlessly bounce of its flat surface, earning a growl from the elf. He eyed the creature, lashing out forceful blows to those that dared to get near. Reaching the creature, he activated his markings and grabbed its throat. Using his increased strength, he crushed its neck, hearing a satisfying snap as he did so. Fenris dropped the creature and quickly slashed his sword behind him, killing a darkspawn that tried to sneak up on him.

Merrill kept an eye out for where her comrades were, and where the darkspawn roamed. She conjured a bolt of lightning through her staff and pointed it towards a small group of the tainted creatures. A crackles and the bolt went flying. She watched in satisfaction as the horde shook violently as the electricity coursed through their bodies, killing them in the process. Another horde was quick to advance on the group through the fairly narrow corridor, much bigger than the one she vanquished and the one she saw Anders fell (Ha! Puns.) Calling forth more of her magic, she forcefully slammed her staff into the ground, eyeing the incoming group. She watched as her magic did its work, summoning sharp pillars of rock around and through the darkspawn horde, impaling and crushing them with each passing second. Some came out alive, but not without a limb missing, and she wasn't going to let them live much longer.

The area was filled with the sound of heavy breathing and the darkspawn taking their final gurgling breaths. Hawke placed her hands on her knees as she bent over, panting loudly. Her ankle was beginning to throb again, as did the other cut and bruises she sustained from the tiresome battle. Anders almost immediately went to work healing them all, him probably being in a far worse mood that usual.

"This is why I hate the Deep Roads" he mumbled as he worked on the laceration Hawke had on her arm. The Champion could do nothing but apologise.

"I'm sorry about what happened" she replied quietly, looking down at the blood covered ground from where she sat. "He certainly put up a good battle."

Anders snickered. "It was foolish of me to have brought him here in the first place. I should have left him back in Kirkwall where he would have been safe."

"You didn't know what would have happened to Ser-Pounce-A-Lot…" Hawke reassured.

"I was a Grey Warden once. I know the dangers of this place, and I still took him along" Anders retorted, the light from his hands fading as he let them fall limp at his sides. Hawke looked at him, seeing the sadness on his face. "I won't trouble you with my sorrow. I'll go heal-" he paused suddenly as Hawke pulled him into a tight hug, hearing Fenris spit out what little water he had in his mouth. Anders stood there for a moment before returning the embrace, a small smile creeping onto his face. "Thank you Hawke" he said calmly.

"I should be the one thanking you. After the many times you saved my ass down here" Hawke said as she parted from the hug. She turned around and headed in Fenris' direction, knowing she was going to get a lecture from him. Anders could simply see the rage fuming from his nostrils. Oh how he loved it when he made the elf jealous.

 **I'm sorry I had to kill Ser-Pounce-A-Lot! I had no intention to make Anders sound even more depressed. I had a feeling it was necessary, since he didn't feel like he was a part of the story, just a minor detail. So to lessen the confusion if he was alive or not, I've made it official.  
So, I hope this chapter wasn't too repetitive with the combat scenes and it was satisfying enough. I'm learning to write battle scenes better to please bear with me if it sucks.  
Hopefully, I'll get the next chapter up soon. Until next time guys! :D**


	12. Haunted

**Long wait, yes I know, but school is already pummelling me with assignments and I haven't been able to get back onto this for a bit. But thanks to little amounts of free time, the chapter is now up.  
And plus, writers block hasn't been very kind to me either. I had the chapter all planned out, just didn't know how to add each part together so that it made sense.  
So after the long wait, here is your next chapter. Enjoy!**

The air was still thick with the smell of decay, a sign of death filling the corridors ahead, a ridiculously large door sitting partly open down a wide corridor. The smell got worse and worse with each step they took, which made either eating or drinking impossible without them bringing it all back up. The hordes of darkspawn were heavier as well, a signal that there could possibly be something valuable they were guarding or as to the reason why there were so many in one area. And what was worse, the lyrium became more common as well, causing Hawke to keep a very close eye on Fenris every time they passed a large deposit of the dreaded stuff.

Varric put the last darkspawn out of his misery with a bolt to its head before placing his beloved Bianca onto his back once again. "I'm sick of seeing these assholes" he mumbled as he waited for the other to sheathe their weapons.

"You're not the only one" Aveline replied with a heavy sigh. Every darkspawn always reminded her of what happened to Wesley, what those… things did to him. She could still remember how cold he felt as she held him in her arms as the templar slowly succumbed to the taint. She was never going to forgive them. Even if the Fifth Blight is over, she felt like she wanted to massacre every single darkspawn that was still alive. Her anger was fuelled by her sorrow, and her anger made her stronger.

The group marched on, the pure heat exhausting them of whatever energy they had, and that tiredness was growing on all of them, Fenris especially. He still had his weapon out, using it to keep himself from collapsing to his knees. Beads of sweat dripped down his face, collecting on his nose and chin before dripping to the heated rock beneath him. Hawke put a hand on his back, the warrior not lifting his head.

"Varric. Do you think we can rest for a few hours?" she suggested to the dwarf, who turned around in the direction of her voice. He opened his mouth to reply but nothing came out when he saw the reason why she asked in the first place.

"Good idea" he said, rolling his shoulders. "I could use a break myself, as do we all." Hawke saw Fenris scowl, seeing him try to push himself upright again with shaky arms.

"I'm fine" he protested, venom in his voice. Hawke growled, causing the elf to stop his struggle.

"Look at yourself. You are not fine. And you are not changing my mind. We are resting and that means you as well" Hawke retorted, folding her arms across her chest. Fenris stood there for a few moments, not raising his head. Finally, the lyrium warrior looked up at his beloved with understanding in his eyes, a frown still on his face.

"As you wish, Hawke" he said quietly, letting Hawke pull his arm around her neck for support as she guided him to the nearest wall for him to lie against. Letting the others do as they pleased. They needed all the rest they could get, and no one intended to waste the valuable time they had. Fenris cringed as he was sat down, but breathed a sigh as he took the weight off his weak legs. The elf placed his greatsword on the ground and went to run his hand through his hair, but instantly moved the offending appendage in disgust. Hawke saw this and looked at him, concerned.

"What's wrong?" she asked, no louder than a murmur. The warrior didn't reply, but simply stared at his hand which layed helplessly on his thigh, his teeth gritted tightly. His mind must be playing tricks on him. Because what was just in his hand, had now vanished into thin air. He shook his head slightly and looked at his hand again. "Fenris?" Hawke asked with a little more concern.

The lyrium elf sighed heavily and turned to face Hawke. "My apologies if I concerned you" he muttered. In a response, the female rogue placed her hand on his; making his tense muscles relax a little. "I am just a little exhausted."

He watched Hawke snort and handed him the water-skin she carried. "A little? You damn right nearly collapsed right in front of us all" she said with anger slightly in her tone. Fenris didn't say anything as he looked away from her, staring down at the dirt, taking a sip of water. Should he tell her and possibly force the whole team to turn around or keep to himself and make Hawke fear even more for him. He knew she was going to find out sooner or later, whether it was by choice or forced upon him. Either way, he needed to tell her, to relieve the pressure that was put upon his chest. Hawke was right to be concerned, and he didn't want her to be more stressed out than she already was. "Please answer me Fenris" Hawke said again, her voice now a whisper. "Tell me what's wrong."

Hesitantly, the elven warrior turned towards the worried rogue, seeing the pain and worry on her face. He once again looked down to his hand, checking that what he previously saw was a false vision, then returned his gaze to his love. "I…" he started, unable to find the words that he wanted to say. Why did it feel all so real that the dagger was in his hand, cold metal against his warm skin? And why did that very dagger look so familiar to the one he held in his visions? That concerned him slightly. Sooner or later, he would tell Hawke, and that time was now. He needed to tell her and maybe, just maybe, she could do something to help him with whatever was happening to him in the first place. The only thing that caused his stomach to turn was how she would react. But he didn't want to burden this on his own. Taking another drink of the water-skin, he handed it back to Hawke and waited a moment, letting the warm liquid hydrate his dry throat. Breathing in heavily, he looked down towards his hand as he spoke, using his other hand to wipe the sweat running down his face.

"I... do you recall the times I have somewhat phased out of reality? As if I were in a trance?" the warrior asked, seeing Hawke nod slightly at the corner of his eye. That was his que to continue. "During those moments I experience… visions, memories, moments where I believe it is actually real. The pain I feel, the air around me, the voices that speak… it feels so real. I felt like I was burning from inside, as if the markings have a connection." Fenris' voice was cold and quiet, but Hawke could hear in his tone a hint of pure fear. What did those visions show him? How bad were they that they made her fearless warrior afraid? Hawke placed a hand on his own and squeezed it slightly, which he returned.

"Fenris, I am here for you, as you are for me. Tell me, what did you see?" Hawke asked quietly, her voice a comforting tone to the unnerved elf. He grimaced slightly, remembering the visions he had recently experienced.

"They were of my past, before I was branded by Danarius. Before I was truly Fenris. I saw my mother's face, Varania and that magister who ripped me from their grasp" he continued, still looking down at the ground as he spoke. "When you said I froze in the midst of battle, I watched you and the abomination die in front of me. Your body changed into that of an elven woman, much like the one I saw in my previous vision, blood surrounding her chest…" he looked at his hand for a third time. "And my most recent vision was when I was back in Tevinter. I was forced to kill a tranquil slave." He passed for a moment, the picture of the dagger he used in the dream flashed through his mind, then back to the dead woman that had replaced Hawke's limp body, the very dagger lying next to her. Blood coated the blade as it glistened in the firelight.

"And what of your arm? You moved it as if you had seen something, felt something. Are you injured?" Hawke asked, her voice hitching a little. Fenris looked at her, seeing the tears that were in her eyes.

"A dagger" the warrior said quickly. "In my hands was a dagger that layed next to the dead woman. And the same dagger I used to kill that slave." He cringed, his pearl white teeth bared in anger. Hawke removed her hand from Fenris' grip slowly, feeling the warmth of her skin slowly fading. He didn't dare to look at her, the cowardice he had shown to the person he loved. He didn't know if she was crying out of remorse, disgust and he didn't want to know… until he felt Hawke's hand against his cheek, gently pushing his face towards hers and stared at the glistening sky blue eyes.

"Listen to me. I don't care what those visions show you. They won't change the way I care about you. Not now, not ever" she spoke sternly, placing her other hand on his remaining cheek, holding his head gently. "And don't believe that I won't hate you for it. Maker, I want to help you. If there is anything I can do if you have another phase again, just tell me. Please. I-"

"I-I don't believe what I'm seeing…" Anders breathed as he peered through an incredibly large door not far from where Hawke and Fenris sat. Both of them looked in the direction of the intruding voice, Hawke taking her hands off Fenris' face. The worry in Anders' voice when he spoke concerned Varric enough for him to go check. As soon as the dwarf had his head through the door, he instantly took his crossbow off his back.

"Holy shit" Varric cursed, his grip on Bianca tightened. The Champion and her lyrium warrior looked at each other again.

"Shall we speak of this another time?" Fenris asked, the fear in his voice still slightly audible. He wiped the tears from Hawke's eyes and brushed his lips against her forehead in a chaste kiss. Hawke nodded slightly and slowly stood up, helping Fenris to his feet also, the elf picking up his sword as he did and placing it on his back once more. He didn't let go of Hawke's hand as he wobbled slightly, but gained his composure. Slowly, but as quickly as she allowed, the rogue and warrior made their way to where everyone had gathered, in front of the door which was now slowly opening by itself. An eerie red glow slowly spilled out of the room as the door opened wider.

"But, isn't she supposed to be dead? We saw her die. She has to be dead" Isabela asked, not taking her eyes off what layed ahead of her. Her hands shook a little as she grasped the hilt of her daggers tightly. Hawke and Fenris joined her as they peered into the room that layed ahead of them. Hawke felt as if her jaw had hit the floor. At her side, she heard Fenris growl, his teeth bared in a snarl of hatred and his brow creased.

"I'm just as confused as you are Isabela," Hawke said, her voice wavering slightly and she gripped Fenris' hand tighter. 'Andraste's flaming asshole. What the hell is going on?'

"I'm only hoping this is just a nightmare. Otherwise, this is not good," Aveline said, firmly holding her sword and shield as she stood in an attack stance.

"Then we are all sharing the same nightmare Red, because she's right there where we can all see her," Varric replied bluntly. Surrounded by bodies impaled by shards of red lyrium and large pillars of the dreaded ore, was a rather sickly looking woman. Her eyes glowed a sinister red, with flames flowing from the corners of them. Patches of her face had burned off, revealing charred brown skin, one hole even revealing the inside of her mouth, which also glowed the same red. Her armor was cracked and shards of red lyrium spurted out from beneath it as if she had been stabbed or impaled with it. Her hair, by a somewhat miracle was neat and tidy, almost unchanged, save for the darker ashen hue to it. Her hood was still covering her head, but was slightly torn and burnt, as was for the other parts of cloth covering her body. She stood up from her red lyrium throne, now twice as tall as she previously was, her sword glowing a more vibrant red in her right hand.

She smirked maliciously, revealing sharp fangs and a look that made Hawke shiver, as did just seeing the mere sight of her.

Knight-Commander Meredith… was alive.

 **So, a kind of a depressing scene (which I suck at) and a cliff hanger that would probably make you guys wanna slap me.  
Now, as for the next chapter… there's gonna be a bit of a delay until I can get all these assignments out of the road. Until then, I'll try to write a little when I can and hopefully, I'll be able to get it up.  
So, until next time guys, stay awesome!**


	13. Questions Without Answers

**Hi all! Finally had the motivation and time to upload the next chapter! Yay!  
I'm so sorry for such a huge delay, but I've been fixed with other things, such as creating a short film with scenes from the DA comic, Magekiller! It's coming along, but I don't think I'll hit the deadline. But I hope to get heaps of it done as well as this.  
So, here you go! New, chapter, enjoy!**

* * *

She took a step forward, making everyone move in battle stances and making the corrupted woman cackle.

"A pleasure to meet you again, dear Champion," she spoke deviously, a voice overlaying her own. Upon instinct, Fenris let go of Hawke's hand and stood in front of her, using his arm to keep her at bay and the other already reaching for his weapon. The woman simply smiled again. "Ah. And you still have your pet I see." The elf growled at the title she had given him, the hand holding his sword clenched tighter around the hilt.

Hawke didn't hesitate to speak first. She needed answers. Was it just pure bad luck that they stumbled upon her? Who do the bodies belong to? And more importantly… "How the hell are you still alive?" the Champion said aloud. She quickly glanced at her comrades, Varric obviously seeming to have wanted to ask the same question as well. She could feel cold sweat forming on her forehead, accompanying the sweat already there. Hawke wanted to run, she could feel herself shaking and she knew Fenris could feel it as well. She hated how cowardly she was being, and that she was showing it in front of everyone she knew and cared about.

"And why would you like to know, Champion?" Meredith's voice broke Hawke out of her trance, making the female snap her head in the knight's direction. The name the knight spoke stepped sideways and in front of the person protecting her, causing the elf to retract his arm and focus on drawing his greatsword.

"Isn't it obvious? We saw you turn into a statue in front of our very eyes. In front of the stranded and possibly injured civilians..." As Hawke said that, she quickly gave a glance to Anders, who had frowned as his companion said those words. "…and in front of your so called templar comrades, who you ended up betraying in the end. Surely we had more than enough witnesses to so your apparent demise. And as we speak, your so called 'statue' is still idle in the middle of the Barracks, where the surviving templars and mages can see it every single time they walk past, probably relieved that you were gone." 'Good job Marian! A great way to anger a creepy darkspawn woman found in the middle of nowhere!' Hawke said, mentally punching herself. She expected Meredith to scowl at her lie she always did, but instead, simply smirked in amusement.

"Your answers will be revealed, given time friend" was the short, making it Hawke's turn to cringe.

"Oh don't butter me up Meredith" the white haired female spat. "Calling me 'friend' isn't going to change anything except-"

"Very well" Meredith interrupted, as if she hadn't heard Hawke continue her little rant. "I believe you are after something, yes?" the subject was quickly changed, making the group blink in confusion.

"And why do you suddenly care?" Anders asked. "It's not like you cared about what happened to the lives of thousands of innocent people who were born with magic in their blood? Why do you suddenly want to help someone who harbours two mages?"

"That is the Champion's decision to make whether I approve of it or not" Meredith said, a little more severity in her tone. "Now, may I ask, are you here for the artefacts or not?" Hawke heard Aveline growl. She knew what she was thinking. How did the knight know what they were after? Did she have something to do with their disappearance?

"Does that mean those thugs were in fact your minions?" Fenris said in his angered tone.

"Correct. And, as a punishment for their need for the artefacts I desire, I made them suffer" Meredith responded, glancing at the impaled bodies on the ground. Merrill let out a sharp gasp of terror, clutching her heart as if she had been wounded. She had all the more reason to be terrified. The bodies slowly started moving their head and arms. One of them raised is head, his face drained of whatever blood he had left in his face as the unnaturally dark blood seeped out of his eyes and mouth. His bloodshot eyes rolled into the back of his head as he let out what seemed to be a scream before both bodies fell limp once more, making the room feel more uneasy that it was previously.

"Maker's giant hairy balls" Varric breathed, slightly taken aback by the sight he had just witnessed, the color in his face slightly fading.

"Shall we go somewhere… less unpleasant?" the woman asked. Everyone was silent, save for some growl of anger, which was Meredith's response to take them away from the Maker forsaken room.

* * *

The heat the lava gave off was extraordinary and no one wanted to bet how hot it was on the lower floors of the cavern. The team followed the possessed knight, who was much untrustworthy to begin with, as she guided them through a doorway that was hidden exceptionally well. The room was once again teeming with the infected ore, red bolts of energy appearing on their surface every now and then. Why were they following her? One. To find out what the hell was going on. Two. To understand how Meredith was still alive after her apparent death, and how she's been able to live in such conditions. And three. Was there a weakness that could be exploited to kill her once and for all?

As they walked, Hawke's sensitive ears picked up something most unholy, making the hairs on her neck stand on end. "You're not breathing" she said quietly. The red knight smiled, her fanged teeth showing.

"How perceptive of you, dear friend" she said calmly, the monotone voice taunting those who heard it.

"So then what are you" the Champion pressed on, trying to gain information on what she could be. She, like the others wanted to get out of here as fast as they could. They had no time to waste.

"I am human. But as I can see from your moods, you know I am less human than you believe, which I may say that you are most correct" was the answer. "I am a reincarnate, a clone, the queen of the Deep Roads, controller of the darkspawn." Fenris cringed. Just being around the mutated witch made him feel nauseous. He had a bad feeling about this woman, and he didn't want to know any time soon as to why.

"And what of the red lyrium? Is it's accelerated growth part of your bidding?" he asked his tone full of venom. This simply made the former knight-commander smile even more, the hole in her cheek cracking and splitting at the movement, making the elf shiver slightly out of disgust.

"You could say that" she started, eyeing a large deposit of the said lyrium, which glowed more intensely the closer she got to it. "In fact, I feed off the lyrium's power. As the further answer the Champion's question, I feed off the lyrium's energy to survive." Hawke's mood improved a little. So there was a way after all. The young rogue licked her lips, tasting nothing but the grime and sweat that formed on her brow. Beside her, she could see that Fenris was struggling to move as he slowly started using his greatsword to keep himself from collapsing. Hawke was quick to aid him once more as she offered her neck for support, which he nodded as thanks. Hidden from behind shards of lyrium, Merrill continued to become more wary as she saw darkspawn dash between gaps, some eyeing her off as their next filling meal. Isabela was at her side, hushing words into her ear to calm her down.

Anders seemed as if he was out of it as both Varric an Aveline kept a close eye on him as well. Every now and then glowing veins would appear and disappear, a sign that the former Grey Warden was trying to keep Justice calm. Varric put a hand on his back, guiding him through the seemingly large hallway. "Easy there Blondie" Hawke heard the dwarf say, followed by the sound of two thuds on the back. Meredith didn't seem to bother checking up on her so called "guests" a she led them into an open circular room, larger than the one they were previously in, almost as large as the Barracks. Pillars of sparking red lyrium spurted from the floor to the roof like spires. More clusters were found in bunches dotting the floor; fine to step on… if you didn't mind a shock or two. Hawke squinted into the distance to see what looked like a wraith, covered in lyrium. But strangely enough, the ore was its usual blue rather that what is as surrounded by, and a strange shape layed encased in its chest.

As Meredith entered the room, little bolts came down upon her, striking her armor with a slight buzzing noise. She glowed brighter for a moment before the light vanished in an instance. Wary, the group entered, the horde of darkspawn not daring to get closer with their master in their sights. With a flick of the commanders' hand, the large slab doors shut behind them with a teeth grinding noise. Fenris, too weak to continue standing, collapsed to his knees, with Hawke kneeling beside him for comfort, watching as his markings started glowing red again. Sweat formed on his face as his breathing became heavy once again, his hands trembling and he went to pick up his weapon once again.

The former knight-commander turned around to face the uneasy group, her mouth in a firm line. "Now, before I answer the remainder of your questions, I ask you this. Do you wish to reclaim the artefacts and head back home to the war ruined city of Kirkwall? Or…" Hawke swallowed the lump forming in her throat.

"Return to a life where everything was perfect. Your whole family is alive and well." Hawke tensed. Back to when even father was alive? Back to the one true place she cared about. Lothering.

"You never lived the torture of being a slave." Fenris cringed. He could sense that she was a desire demon. But… he never knew his past before the gaining of his markings. What was his mother like? What was he like before truly being… Fenris.

"The Fifth Blight never existed. You and Wesley lived a happy life." Aveline went wide-eyed for a moment. Her memories flooded back to when she first met Hawke and her family. She could see her husband slowly being consumed by the blight, the blade to his chest. The memories still haunt her.

"You were accepted by the clan. Marethari and the Dallish were never forced to be killed. You were loved." Merrill held her hand near her heart. The Keeper only tried to protect her, which resulted in her death and the clan. She could still see it, the blood of her family staining her hands. No one would be afraid of who she was.

"Captain of the high seas. Looting, drinking, everything a pirate's heart desired. Your ship returned, the money flowing out of your pockets." Isabela could imagine herself, her captains' hat place confidently no her head, the splintered wood of the ships steering wheel tightly in her grasp. The feeling of the salty breeze flowing through her hair. Oh how she yearned to live a pirates life once again.

"A famous storyteller and author on all of Thedas. Not burdened by what your family wanted you to do. Free to do as a Dwarf pleased. Never having to run from Orzammar. You never had to go there." A place where Varric could do as he wished? Writing books to please his fans, making coin my telling stories to the street of his beloved city.

"Justice never met you, nor you did him. You'd live life happy. Before you merged with Justice, before you became a Grey Warden, before the taint entered your body, doomed to bring your short life to an end." A life where every day Anders didn't have to fear of losing control of Justice. To be the cheerful, joking man he once was. Never did he blow up the Chantry and start the war. To no longer fear of being a threat to innocent people… and Hawke.

"The choice is yours to make" Meredith said. With a snap of her fingers, the lyrium in the room crackled with anticipation, before striking down onto the team of adventurers. Hawke felt as if she had been engulfed by a fireball, the energy burning her entire body in a searing pain like no other. She couldn't hear anyone screaming, not even herself as the world around her suddenly went quiet. Through strained eyes, she looked up painfully, her body shuddering as the energy coursed through her body. She saw Meredith standing there, her arms folded with a malicious expression. The Champion gritted her teeth, feeling like her jaw was going to break. She struggled to look at the fallen elf next to her, his body violently glowing and shuddering. His teeth grit and eyes squeezed shut. His armoured hands clenched in tight fists and he felt his arms give way to his weight. He collapsed to the floor, motionless and not breathing.

Tears formed in Hawke's eyes from both dread and pain. She too could feel her life slipping away from her. "Fenris!" she yelled, yet her voice was once again inaudible to her ears. Her arms too, gave away from beneath her as she continued to hold on to what consciousness she had. With a shuddering hand, she reached towards the unmoving elf, black dots slowly consuming her vision. "Please… I need you" she tried to whispers as the world around her went black.

… **Oops :3  
I'm so evil. Please don't murder me. *hides*  
So yeah, cliff-hanger once again and I feel like I've hit a few spots I missed when it comes to writing. So, new writing style I guess. Hope it works out for the best.  
as for the next chapter… well, I hold no promises, but I hop to get the next one us before school holidays are finished. Yeah… I won't take my word for it but I will try!  
Until next time guys! :D**


	14. An Alternate Path?

**Eww. Gone for so long and I feel like everyone is OOC goddammit. I'm only doing three characters out of the seven here because I feel as if it'll take much too long to write everyone up and mostly because… I have no… idea what to write. Shh! I said nothing!  
So, after a tediously long wait. The fic is now revived with a brand new chapter! Enjoy!**

Black nothingness and hazy dark green sky was all she could see. The silhouettes of both trees and animals were visible in the dim lighting. Black particles, looking very much like scales or ash floated through the sinister wind, giving the area surrounding Hawke an eerie vibe. The dimmed sky flashed with sudden bursts of green lightning, illuminating the eyes of the animals surrounding her. She couldn't help but give off a shudder. This place was giving her the creeps and unless her mind was playing with her. She swore she saw a huge spider, its eight daunting eyes flashing. She could feel the wind blowing through her short hair, the wind not warm or cool, but it gave off a vibe she didn't like. She went to reach for her daggers, only for her hands to meet air. She glanced onto her back. No daggers. And she felt lighter too. She looked down to her clothing. She was no longer wearing her red and black Champion's attire. She wore the simple clothing she had worn as she and her family had escaped from Lothering that dreaded day. A day she thought she could forget.

"Aw, come on sister. There's no need to be so afraid!" called a voice she thought she had imagined. With wide eyes, she turned around to meet the person who the voice belonged to. There she was, in her white mage gowns, her dark brown hair flowing elegantly over her shoulders. Her chocolate brown eyes gleamed with happiness as she smiled at her sister. It couldn't be Bethany! She was dead! She had died more than eight years ago.

"Beth- Bethany. How are you still alive? I had to- you were. Maker I've missed you so much!" Hawke's words came out stuttered as she ran to her little sister, holding her in a tight embrace. Tears threatened to fall as she closed her eyes. The mage chuckled, patting the rogue on the back.

"What on Thedas are you on about sister? You must have had a nightmare. Come. Mother and father are waiting back at home" Bethany replied as she and her sister pulled away from each other. Hawke opened her eyes and went slightly wide eyed. The area surrounding her had changed dramatically, from dull land frightening, to a land she was all too familiar with. She was back in Lothering the blight never having seemed to affect it, as if it had never happened.

"I…" Hawke began, making Bethany stop and give her a questioning look. The rogue then nodded. "Yes. It was a terrible nightmare, sister. I lost father, Carver, you and mother. I didn't know what to do. I just walked around aimlessly, drinking into a stupor and picking fights with people" he voice wavered slightly as she said that. It was the truth however, but not here. When her mother died, she had locked herself from contact with everyone but Bodhan, walking past her companions and drinking until she couldn't stand. That was until… she no longer wanted to think about it. It was a terrible moment, shortly before the gruelling battle with both the Qunari and the Arishok

Wiping the tears that had threatened to fall, Hawke let Bethany guide her through her home town and to an all too familiar house. Opening the door, she was welcomed by three faces Hawke thought she would never see again. Her mother stood there, as elegant as always with her hand together at her waist, giving both girls a warm smile as they shut the door behind them. Carver stood there with his arms folded, looking as neutral as always, giving his older siblings a nod as welcoming. Lately there was a person that Hawke hadn't seen in so long it hurt. His black hair was tied into a small ponytail, locks of stray hair hanging loosely on the sides of his face, his beard neatly trimmed and groomed, his warm, gentle smile giving the Champion the feeling of love she thought she had lost more than ten years ago. Finally, he opened his mouth, his voice bringing tears to her eyes once more. "Welcome home. Were you out annoying the neighbours' nug again?" She couldn't help but laugh and ran into his embrace.

His hair flowed lightly in the autumn breeze as he opened his eyes; the dull ache of his head seemed to vanish as soon as he took his attention off it. He felt stone against his back as he leaned the wall, a leg propped onto it with his arms folded across his chest. How he got here, he wasn't one hundred percent sure. The last thing he knew was Meredith snapping her fingers and extreme pain overwhelming his consciousness. The maple leaves on the trees slowly let go of the branches they held onto, and drifted quietly in the gentle breeze in an orange and yellow wave like the scene you would witness looking out to the ocean during a beautiful sunset.

Fenris took a deep breath through his nose as he took in the scene around him. It was truly a sight to behold. How such a simple sight could take all the stress and anger off his shoulders in one single glance. If only Hawke were here… "Hawke" he heard himself mutter. Where was she, more or less, where was he exactly The sun beamed high above him, the sky crystal blue with no cloud to be seen and the autumn chill biting the bare skin on his arms. He knew from just the feeling he wasn't wearing his usual armor, but now a simple white baggy long sleeve shirt and his skin tight leggings. He no longer felt the weight of the weapon that made him feel secure, but in a place like this? He couldn't believe he was thinking this but, 'Away with the blade.' Fenris went to run a hand through his hair, and quickly moved his hand away from his face in shock. He was dumbfounded. Were his eyes deceiving him? Was he finally going insane? Reluctantly, he turned his hand until he saw the back of it, then viewed the palm once more. Where were his marking? He looked at his other hand, and then slightly pulled the sleeves of his shirt up. No silver lines to be seen. He swallowed, unsure of what to think. A bucket layed near his feet, filled to the brim with water. Out of curiosity, he peered into it, seeing the perfect reflection of… his face? No, it couldn't be.

Dark brown hair, almost black replaced the silvery-white he only knew, the locks slowly flowing still in the light draft. He ran an unmarked hand over his chin and neck, which no longer bore his slave markings. He looked… different, felt different. He was still terribly confused. What magic was this? And why couldn't he look away? He finally ran his hand through his hair, also noticing the lyrium marking on his forehead had also vanished. He took in a shaky breath and with one final glance, looked away. Fenris had no idea what to think. Was Meredith actually capable of doing such a thing? Or would it all be a lie until it was too late for him to react?

He once again, took up his original stance on the wall, looking back out to the view I front of him to steady his rapidly beating heart, noticing a woman walking in his direction. All he could make out of her was her flowing mud brown hair draping down to her hips, her slim, tanned frame was wrapped in a white dress, her feet bare and her arms long and slender. The said woman was still heading in his direction, getting close enough for him to properly see her and Maker, how much she looked like Hawke. It was clear she was much older than him, but her forest green eyes glittered with energy and curiosity. Her face was gentle, with a hint of mischief hiding in the smile she bore. Her features were gentle, with slight wrinkles showing on her almost flawless face, elven ears slightly pointing out of her thin, wavy hair. One of her eyebrows creased down, her smile still on her face.

"You do seem to enjoy being outside" her voice was as calming and tender as he suspected, but something came across that he hadn't remembered. She looked so much like him. She couldn't be… could she? She put her hands on her hips and shook her head, her hair swaying with each shake. "Let's get inside before we both catch a cold. Come, Leto. Varania is inside preparing dinner." Those sentences hit him like an ogre's punch to his face. Two words he didn't expect to hear. Varania, still alive and Leto… his name before becoming Fenris. Was Meredith right? Was she actually capable of this… magic, if you would call it that? Without taking another chance to think, Fenris nodded and followed her inside the small house he was leaning against and was welcomed by the warmth of a small fireplace.

Varania stood at a table, a generous array of vegetables scattered across it, some chopped and others waiting the same fate. The orange haired elf, held a knife in one hand before placing it down and standing up tall to face her brother, her height almost rivalling his own. Her face was far from saddened unlike the woman Fenris had met. She was filled with happiness and joy, not seeming to care about anything in the world apart from her family. Her hair, now longer, was tied in a braid, which went down to just below her shoulders. She smiled as Fenris walked in. "It took you long enough to come inside Leto" she said with a giggle. "But I shouldn't be so surprised. You're normally out there for hours." She shouldn't be telling him what to do, not after what she did to him. He pondered the thought of grabbing her throat, but something, someone, was preventing him from doing so. That didn't change his idea on still hating Varania. Not only because she betrayed him, but she was also a mage. The said girl picked up the knife again and began chopping up the remains of a turnip still lying on the table. She then glanced at the other woman in the house. "And what of the garden mother?"

The woman folded her arms and placed a finger on her chin, an expression as if she was thinking thoroughly. "I would say if we begin the full harvest on the first patch tomorrow, we should have more than enough crops to both feed us and sell at the markets" was the woman's answer, a smile on her face. Fenris just didn't know if he wanted to speak or not, but the smile on his apparent 'mothers' face just made him feel like smiling, like he knew this woman. Everything had just gone past in such a blur. He no longer… or possibly, never had his markings, Varania is alive and so is his mother. It's just something made him think that he was missing something, like a part of him wasn't there. That's when he looked at the brown haired woman again; the face gave him the answer. Hawke. He was missing Hawke, wanted Hawke.

"Leto" his mothers' voice called out to him as Fenris snapped out of his trance, looking at the woman once more. "Tomorrow morning, could you please help me with the harvest? After all, age is catching up on me and you seem to enjoy being outside" she asked, a beaming smile on her face.

Fenris nodded. "Of course mother." He felt strange saying that word. Mother. He couldn't even remember her in his past life. And now, she was right there, standing in front of him. She looked at him, tilting her head with a frown.

"Are you okay, my son? You don't seem yourself" she asked, slight concern. "Please don't tell me you're catching a cold. Oh, Maker, I don't want to get sick. Not at this time of year" she sighed as she placed a hand on his forehead, standing on her tip-toes trying to reach the height he was.

Fenris tensed slightly at her touch. Only had he ever let Hawke touch him and no one else. But this woman, he had a feeling he could make an exception about the minor issue. He gently grabbed her wrist and placed his other hand on top and he lifted it down. "I'm fine" he replied. "I am… just a little exhausted. That is all." He felt a smile tug at his lips as the woman smiled in relief. Her smile quickly turned into curiosity and she went on her toes again to peer over his shoulder.

"Ah, excuse me serah, but do you have any vegetables I could purchase please?" asked a dwarf as he stood at the doorway, bowing slightly to the woman. She giggled and moved towards the dwarf, gesturing him to follow.

"I'm sure we have a few crops to spare" she said brightly, a pure smile on her usually happy face.

"Oh Andraste bless your kind heart Lea" replied the stout man. Fenris' eyes went wide in surprise. Lea. Lea was her name. After so long of not even knowing who she was or less, what her name was, he finally knew. Lea was his mothers' name.

The ship was a mighty fine vessel, the material it was forged from possibly coming from the wealthiest places in Thedas. She ran her hands across the rough wooden surface of the balustrade, varnished to gleam in the days' peak. She felt the fabric of the captains' cloak wrapped around her frame, giving her a feeling of power as she tipped her captains hat slightly. She continued to guide her hand across the railings, feeling the grooves and patterns carved into the thick wood. She slowly made her way up a small flight of stairs, looking out to the open sea, feeling the tilt of the ship with every wave it went over, the sea breeze blowing against her face.

Isabela at last reached the wheel of the ship, caressing the finely carves wood once again. Oh how she could get back to doing this again.

"Captain!" a burly man yelled from in front of her. She looked up from the wheel to see a muscular man wearing nothing but a black tattered vest, baggy cream trousers and blue bandana covering his bald head. As soon as he was close enough, he saluted her with a stern look. She gave him a nod to continue. "We have spotted land to the east. Shall we make preparations to land?"

Isabela looked in the direction her crewmate had said, seeing in the distance an island of a decent size. She could just make out the canopy of trees and a small village near the edge of the said island. Hopefully, there will be markets to purchase and sell supplies from recent plunders, whatever the cargo may be. She let a smile appear. "Alright men!" she yelled, a wave of happiness washing over her as she said those words. It had been much too long since she had taken eve a single step on a ship that belonged to her. She could trust these men, unlike the last lot she had to deal with, who had an unexpected dagger in their backs. As those words spilt out of her mouth, all the men turned to face their captain, halting the banter and work they were doing.

"We head east!" She pointed towards the island in the distance. "There we will restock lost supplies and sell the loot we have taken. After that, drinks are on me!" The men let out a hearty cheer at their captain as all hands were on deck, gathering whatever supplies they didn't need and preparing the ship for a well-deserved docking. Isabela grasped the handle of the steering wheel firmly and turned it anti-clockwise, turning the ship into the direction of the recently found island. She felt the turn of the sip as it obeyed its masters command, turning against the tide into the direction it was ordered to head. The wind picked up as the ship cut through the water with great ease, the sails swollen with air as it pushed the mighty vessel along. The sound of eavy boots could be heard just above the wind as the pirates of Isabela's crew ran around the dock in a great attempt to keep the ship strong and avoid any hazards that were bound.

"Well, this isn't so bad" Isabela though as she gripped the wheel tighter as the boat teetered in the water. She felt a smile tug her lips as she watched the island in the distance grow in size. "And we're making outstanding progress. Better than my old ship could ever have done." That single thought made the rouge pause slightly. "Now that I think about it, how did I get here. "It was highly likely that no one on the ship knew wat had happened; otherwise they'd already be calling her bat shit crazy. She had absolutely no Idea where she was, and she guessed in that case it was good, better than the Deep Roads by a very long shot. Was Meredith speaking of something that she could grant. A talent… no, a magical skill, that could grant her such power. Was it blood magic? Or something worse.

"Captain?" boomed the same familiar voice as before, causing Isabela to snap out of her thoughts and turned her head towards the bald pirate. "Preparations for docking in under weigh" he said, saluting her in respect. "All the necessary equipment is packed. Is there anything you want to add?" Isabela smirked, somewhat forgetting about her negative thinking. It felt weird being called captain again, but in a good way. It felt good being able to take control of a ship and a crew once more.

"Then make sure that the whole crew is alert and on their toes. We don't want any bits getting chopped of now do we?" Isabela laughed a she saw the pirates face turn a light shade of pink and the island in the distance increasingly grow with each passing second. Oh how she waited to feel the soft sand at her feet.

"B-but father? What are you doing here?" Hawke muttered in disbelief, mentally slapping herself in the heads as she realised the words that spilt out of her mouth. Malcolm simply laughed and raised a questioning eyebrow.

"My... Marian are you ill? He asked as he pulled away from her and put a large hand on her forehead. "You… as a matter of fact, have been the one gone from home for quite some time. Travelling the Waking Sea must have been exhausting. Please, Marian, rest for now while your mother and I prepare dinner." The young rogue didn't retaliate and obeyed her father. She smiled at him and walked past, heading to her small but cosy room, the warmth welcoming. Her bed was tucked into the right corner, opposite of where her door was. Next to the small bed was a wooden table, a small clay vase sat alone on the aged birch. She missed this room so much. It felt good seeing it again after many long years. She paced through it slowly, running her hand across the bed before taking her seat on it. Mother had done an amazing job keeping this place dirt free and Hawke was more than grateful fr that. If only…

"How are you faring sister?" came Carver's voice from the door, his burly arms folded across his chest.

"What is this? Carver actually giving a damn? Maker have mercy on me!" Hawke said, pretending to feel faint.

"I see the trip hasn't dampened your mood…" he said with a sigh. "I still don't know how I haven't strangled you yet."

"Because I've saved your ass more times than I can count" Hawke retorted with a sly smirk.

"Yet you couldn't save any of us when we really needed you" Carver returned, his tone angry. This made Hawke turn to him, shocked. A wave of unease swept over her as she looked at Carver more closely. Instead of their usual blue, they were now burning red, as a malicious smile was drawn across his face. "Such a shame that you risked your life for nothing." This conversation had turned way too quickly, and it scared Hawke. And the time where she finally saw peace.

"Carver…" she started. "What are you talking about?" The warrior threw his hands up.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about! You couldn't save me when that ogre attacked. You killed Bethany in the Deep Roads when she contracted the Blight. And mother died because you couldn't take care of her!" Hawke looked down, feeling the wet and warm tears trickle down her cheeks, her breathing shaky. Just as when she wanted to forget it all, the haunting memories come flooding back to her.

"You don't understand" she croaked. "I had no choice but to kill Bethany. I wanted her to stay with mother, but she refused. Time and time again, I told her, but she wouldn't take no for an answer. And mother…" Hawke winced, thinking about the monstrosity the blood mage had made her. "I tried. So, so hard to keep her safe after what happened to both of you, and yet. I failed." She cringed as more tears spilled down her face. "Do you have any idea how hard it was for me? How long I suffered when I knew I had no one to turn to for help? Three years. Three… Maker damned years. For so long, I helped my friends, wanting nothing in return, because they deserve to be happy, not be swallowed up by my sorrow. I've said over and over again that I have to keep going but…" Hawke paused. She couldn't be overwhelmed by this. It was meant to be all behind her. She knew this couldn't be real. She knew Meredith was still out there, waiting, watching…

"Oh cry me a river, sister" Carver spat that last word, his tone venomous. He paced to his older sister and viciously grabbed her by the throat, lifting her off the ground. Hawke choked, gasping for air and she clawed at his hands, hoping he'll flinch and drop her. "Speak what you must. It won't change anything." His grip tightened, making Hawke let out a choked sob and she desperately continued to tear her nails into his flesh. "What shall it be, Hawke? Kill or be killed?" With one final movement, Carver mustered his remaining strength and tensed his arm, hearing a quiet snap sound as he watched his sister fall limp in his grasp. Carver's form rippled and changed, Meredith now in his place.

"Your time is up now Champion. What will be your decision?" The Knight-Commander said and her being faded in red mist.

 **Yucky, horrible chapter full of OOC people! Let's hate Meredith more shall we by torturing everyone eh?  
Maybe, just maybe if I'm not too lazy, I'll start writing the next chapter. But I currently have writers block now, so it may be a while.  
Until next time guys! :D**


	15. Sickening Discovery

**Now how long has it been since I last updated this? Oh right… bloody forever!  
Maker's breath, I'm so sorry about the unforgivable delay! I have been occupied with a lot of family & friend issues as well as school kicking me hard. But nonetheless I have returned from the dead and here with a fresh new chapter. I guess you could consider this a late Halloween gift…  
But I will not bore you all with my useless blabbering, here's chapter 15! Hope you guys enjoy!**

* * *

Dull aching throbbed for her sleep demanding body as Hawke awoke with a start, instinctively grasped her throat. Groggily, she sat up, being careful to the muscles in her body. Hawke could feel the remnants of dried tears on her face, evaporated by the harsh heat of the cavern. A slight clatter of metal made the young Champion snap her head to the intruder, trying for her daggers once more, only to find once again that her hand met air.

"Thank the Maker you're awake!" breathed the red-haired warrior. Hawke's form relaxed at her voice, relieved to hear that a friend was alive. Looking at Aveline, she could see that she was leaning on the wall, her armor singed black in spots. Her gaze was upon the dagger wielder, a somewhat pained expression on her face.

"Aveline" Hawke breathed, her voice hoarse and her throat parched. "Good to see you still breathing as well." The Captain of the Guard simply chuckled.

"Well after that stunt Meredith pulled, I'd thought we'd all be goners" Aveline said, almost sympathetically. Hawke blinked slightly, letting fear sink in once again.

"What's going on?" Hawke asked, sitting up more comfortably to ease her sore muscles. Varric came walking up to her, almost as in the very same state as Aveline.

"Don't trouble yourself with it Hawke" he said quietly. "Let's just say that the blast put both Blondie and Broody in a different mood and they went strolling together." This made Hawke blink before continuing her array of questions.

"And what do you mean by that? Where are they?" Hawke grew more worried with each question she asked. 'They're fine, they have to be. If they wandered off, then they're alive…'

"That, my friend, I can't answer. I have no idea where they went," Varric responded, fixing up his slightly messy hair.

"And why didn't you tell the rest of us about this?" Isabela asked, seeming quite annoyed about the news not being discussed with her also.

"Maybe they've gone to find out where we are. Or maybe they've gone to find Meredith." Merrill said, making the remaining team glance over at her with uncertainty, especially Varric.

"I know you mean well Daisy, but there was something very off about them. I don't know." The dwarf said with a grim look on his face, avoiding having to answer Isabela's question. "They weren't bickering or reaching at one another's throats. They just up and left last I saw before I fell unconscious again." Aveline looked around slowly, as did Hawke, observing their surroundings once again. It didn't seem that they'd left the place they were in before Meredith attacked them, but the lyrium growing in the area seemed to be a darker hue, less active that it was before; and their only exit, completely blocked of by a new cluster of lyrium. 'Great' Hawke frowned. 'Our only way out of here is blocked by immense pain. Thanks Meredith, you son-of-a-bitch.'

"I feel as if this domain of Meredith's is confined and will likely lead to a dead end, since our only way out is completely blocked by lyrium" The female warrior said, her armoured hand underneath her chin. "If that's the case, then Fenris and Anders wouldn't have gone too far. I have a feeling that they have a bone to pick with that woman." Hawke held a clutched hand just above her heart in worry. Why would they be so reckless at a time like this? Even with their strength combined, there was absolutely no way they would be able to beat Meredith by themselves. It was suicide, and they knew it. Even being alone in the Maker damned placed was extremely risky for a group so small. She began shaking slightly. She couldn't lose either of them, not now, and definitely not here. She felt the gentle touch of what Hawke grew up to know to be Merrill's hand on her shoulder.

"It's going to be okay" the Dallish said quietly. "You know they both care about you a great deal. They're trying to keep you safe. And don't worry, we'll find them." Hawke chuckled slightly.

"Well at least they both have something to agree on" Hawke joked. Merrill stood up and offered Hawke her hand, which the rogue accepted. With a yank, both girls were standing. Aveline followed, using the wall to assist her, while Varric and Isabela helped each other up, a slap on the back following. "Bloody idiots" Hawke muttered, feeling slightly vulnerable without her weapons. The others must feel the same. At least Merrill still has her magic to keep them safe. "When I get my hands on them, they'll better hope they can take a kick to the balls."

* * *

The same scenery was getting even more tedious with each passing second, the obscure landscape never seeming to end as the turned each corner and passed each milestone which they attempted to remember for their way back. The long route was only leading them in one direction and never split off anywhere else, much to Hawke's relief. She only hoped that this continued until the very end of the pathway, where she hoped she would find Fenris and Anders alive and okay. Unfortunately, wherever they were, there was an extremely high chance that Meredith too, would be there, awaiting their arrival and possibly, doing something even more drastic than the last thing she had done. And that was something the whole team feared. They had this feeling that their one and only route was a trap that could easily lead them to their deaths.

"Don't worry Hawke. I'm sure they're alright. They can hold their own if they've gotten into trouble" Varric reassured, clearly seeing the troubled expression plastering the champions face. "I'm sure, given time, we'll find them before anything too bad happens." Hawke simply smiled sadly at Varric, his eyes showing the slight hint of doubt.

"I know they're going to be okay. I just know it. I know they don't get along most of the time, but I'm sure they both had a reason to wander off without letting any of us know" Hawke replied, hoping that what she said was more than enough to get Varric off her tail. She honestly didn't want to talk at the moment, not until the danger was over and until she knew that her friends were safe.

As the team of misfits walked, the areas around them continued to dull, eventually they were under the guidance of Merrill's magic, the glowing orb ever so slightly making the dormant lyrium glow faintly. It's strange to think, after how much deeper they went into the cavern, the duller the lyrium grew, and the said lyrium only glowed extravagantly whenever Meredith was near. Hawke feared the worst. She worried that their trail had run cold. Did they missed a hidden passage, the current pathway leading to a dead end or their deaths? Or was this what the former Knight-Captain planned the whole time, for her team to lose faith, turn back and possibly die before even being able to return back to the surface. No. She needed to think positively. They were going to find Fenris and Anders. They are going to find them, and they'll be okay. A determine expression was fixed onto her face. And when she found Meredith, she was going to die a slow, painful death by her hand for all the suffering she had caused Hawke over the numerous years she was a fugitive on the run, constantly put into danger to save her family. No. Hawke wasn't going to give her the luxury of a quick, painless death, oh no.

Yet another left turn followed by yet another excruciatingly long corridor, but with a glimmer of hope and dread on the other side. Hawke wiped the beads of sweat off her forehead, the extreme heat from the lava hidden underneath the red lyrium was relentless in its assault, weakening the group a fair deal.

The rusting blades of Hawke's makeshift daggers felt strange on her back, and she knew she was going to be at a disadvantage in battle. Not only her, but everyone else, especially Varric, who had to resort to a crossbow that left him grumbling after the test run with it. The discarded darkspawn weapons weren't the best, but they would have to do if they stood a chance down here. Even though she was armed once again, Hawke still felt defenceless and vulnerable. She could see on everyone else's face that they felt the same. she had this awful feeling that these weapons weren't going to last long in combat, maybe even break when they need them most. If that were to happen, it was all down to Merrill to give them cover as they retreated. A cowardly move but what else could they do?

"Andraste's tits!" Isabela gasped, having to take her bandana off briefly to wipe the thick coat of grime and sweat that had made its way to her forehead. Her hair, no longer restrained, covered her exhausted face slightly, her chestnut locks damp with sweat. "I could certainly go for a cold bath right now."

"Seconded" Varric replied, beads of sweat trickling down his face and dripping from his chin. "I know it's hot down here, but Maker's balls, I wasn't expecting it to be this hot."

"It's like I was saying before, it's gotten much warmer down here than it was eight years ago, and I don't think it'll cease anytime soon" Hawke said through several pants. The exhaustion was getting to her more than ever now, and she knew more than anything that the others were suffering as well in the immense heat. It just seemed to get so much worse the further down the corridor they went. And while they were unarmed, more or less to say with shitty weapons like these, this just made the one-way trip a whole lot more perilous if they are to encounter Meredith or the darkspawn in this state. Merrill was their only protection, and even she, being as powerful as she is, wouldn't last too long in a fight without completely draining herself of all her mana and leaving the others to await death if she wasn't able to put up any protective spells fast enough. Hawke shook that mental image out her head, as well as the dizziness that slowly started to obscure her vision. She placed an armoured hand onto her forehead to dullen the headache that returned.

"You alright kitten?" Isabela asked, casting a wary glance at her fellow dagger wielder. The Champion gave her a slight nod.

"Just peachy. Don't worry about me, just keep going. I'll be able to keep up." The pirate once again looked at her with uncertainty before casting her gaze back to the path ahead of her. Hawke breathed a sigh of somewhat relief. She didn't want anyone to worry about her when they had their own problems to deal with at the moment. She was glad that Varric and Isabela had stopped pushing her, but her peace didn't last for too long.

"You do realise we're all worried about you. You don't seem to be acting like yourself ever since we got down here" Aveline said firmly. Hawke looked at her, seeing the exhaustion plastering her face. She then glanced away.

"I thought you should know by now what happened down here. Hadn't Varric told you?" Hawke asked. She breathed inwardly when the red-haired warrior nodded.

"He did. But I suspect there's something else bothering you apart from that. I won't talk about Bethany if you don't want me to. I won't press the issue." Hawke smiled inwardly. Bethany's fate was only one of the reasons why Hawke hated the Deep Roads so much; another was that she feared it would also be Ander's and Fenris' fate. And she didn't want that to happen to the two most important people in her life. Hawke took a deep breath and glanced at Aveline again, gesturing her to move back and away from listening ears. The red haired warrior nodded, slowing her pace with Hawke until they were both a fair distance behind the three other team members.

"It's nothing about Bethany, that I can assure you trust you to hold a secret Aveline" Hawke said quietly, looking back down to the ground as they walked. "Knowing those three, they'll probably spill it without even realising it." The warrior looked at her.

"You can trust me, you know" she said, casting a worried look at Hawke. The rogue smiled sadly at her, keeping her head slightly downcast.

"I know you mean well Aveline. But even I'm not sure. Something down here is messing with my emotions. First this place takes my baby sister, nearly takes Fenris from me and now… both Fenris and Anders are missing." Hawke took a shaky breath. "Why is this Maker damned place trying to take everyone I know and love from me? Why can I never have anything good happen to me? Why must I always solve everyone's' problems and never get anything in return?" Aveline grasped her shoulder firmly, making the young champion jump slightly.

"Are you hearing yourself? You act as if the world is going to end. The Hawke I know always has a smile on her face, tends to make jokes at the worst time, The Hawke I know never backs down from a challenge. You even said yourself that 'the Deep Roads look like nug shit compared to all the other things I've done.'" She let go of Hawke's shoulder and looked ahead of her. "And don't you ever think we're not here for you. You are family Hawke, even more so to Fenris. You are the only thing he has. And if it weren't for all the mess we've had to go through, you would have never met any of us in the-"

"We're here" Hawke whispered, interrupting the red- haired warrior. Aveline bit the inside of her cheek in annoyance. Did Hawke even hear anything she had just said to her? Or was she talking for no reason. The warrior went to take a glance at Hawke, only to see the horror written all over her face. "I'm too late…" the rogue all but breathed. Aveline heard Merrill gasp loudly in shock as she covered her mouth with both hands, a look of dread wavering in her eyes.

Varric unsheathed his rusting crossbow with a look of both horror and anger plastered on his face. He gripped his weapon tighter as the creatures in front of him took a step forward, swaying slightly. Their muscles twitched absentmindedly, shards of red lyrium of many sizes protruded out their bodies staining their armour red with their own blood. "Well, at least we found them" the dwarf chuckled mirthlessly, but those words left a bitter taste in his mouth. Isabela shot a glare at the archer.

"Are you kidding me Varric? Now's not the time to be joking around!" she yelled at him as she turned her head back to those standing in front of her, whispering cusses under her breath before she tied her damp bandana around her wrist. Merrill followed the pirate, taking her staff off her back with shaky hands, gently muttering something Dallish, a prayer of somewhat.

Aveline followed suite, urging the shock stricken Hawke to stay away. "I have a feeling this is Meredith's doing" she spoke, trying to keep her voice steady as she eyed a particular creature. She counted them off. Six in total with another three standing further back, all of which seemed dreadfully familiar to the guard captain. Varric snickered.

"No shit Red. Who else would try and do creepy shit like this?" he said as he strung a bolt into his crossbow, aiming it towards one of the creatures. "If we're going to find Meredith, we need to pass these guys." It was audible that the dwarf was trying not to sound phased. But right now, who wouldn't care? This seemed all too real for it to be a nightmare. His finger slowly, pulled back the trigger, ready to lodge his bolt straight into the targeted monsters head.

"Please don't!" Hawke screamed as Varric heard footsteps race towards him. Hawke stood in front of him, her arms spread and her body shuddering with each breath she took. "You can't be that heartless!"

"That's not them Hawke!" the dwarf retorted. "Now get out the way!"

"That's my sister you're going to kill dammit Varric!" Hawke yelled back, turning her head so she was looking over her shoulder. She had obviously been crying, since her eyes were red and puffy. Varric blinked slightly as he looked at his target once again. His eyes widened in surprise and shock. Amongst the decaying flesh, matted and bloodstained clothing and the red lyrium spurting from almost every part of her body, was the young mage Varric had come to care about in the first year they had first become friends. Hawke was right. Behind those misty grey eyes and singed locks of black hair, was the cheeky mage full of life and confidence.

"Sunshine…" the archer breathed almost wordlessly, almost not believing what he was about to do before Hawke stopped him. He had a moment to look at the remaining creatures in front of him, and he couldn't think how much further his jaw could drop into the Deep Roads. He thought these people were dead, but seeing them right in front of him proved the dwarf otherwise. And the two figures standing next to one another didn't do anything to calm his nerves. Varric lowered his rusting weapon, watching as Hawke slowly lowered her arms. She was still shaking uncontrollably, her heart hammering in her chest. She felt sick. She wanted to get out of here, but she couldn't look away. The two closest to the Champion moved forward slightly, their bodies slumped forward and their step wavering.

She couldn't believe it. It was right in front of her, but she was still thinking it was all a terrible nightmare. All these creatures standing in front of her… she knew them all. And that freaked her out even more. She thought her legs were going to give way as the two closest creatures moved closer, their heaving breaths sending shivers down the rogue's spine. They looked at her with brightly glowing eyes. She looked at the being to her left. His veins pulsated with red light, blood seemingly seeping from random lyrium wounds on his body. His black feathered coat was charred and matted, stained with his blood. His hair lay loose and out of its short ponytail, his staff gripped tightly in his glowing hands. His eyes glowed a bright red, a shard of lyrium finding its way through his cheek just below the bloodstains dripping from his eyes. He seemed to be… crying? No, he was smiling maliciously as he stared at her, his head tilted slightly.

Reluctantly, she turned her head right to the person she cared about most. His silvery white hair was stained red in places, where the rest was toned a darker grey thanks to the dirt. His markings flared bright red, which made him twitch violently which every bright flash. His eyes no longer hosted the forest green, gentle but protective nature behind them. All that remained was red glowing orbs, sinister as he snarled, baring his elongated, and fanged teeth, blood dripping slowly from the corner of his curled lips. His armoured had been pierced in many places by the shards of red lyrium growing from his body, the band on his arm being held in place by a shard that protruded out his wrist. When he saw Hawke's fearful eyes, he too, brought forth a sinister smile, as if he were amused by the Champion's fear. His arm twitching, he grabbed the handle of the Blade of Mercy from his back, the blade looking much more menacing in the hands of someone who knew how to wield it.

Hawke felt the sting of tears in her eyes before they let themselves spill down her cheeks. Trembling violently, she took her daggers of her back, gripping their hilts tightly in fear. They were gone. Meredith had taken them.

She had taken Anders and Fenris from her and turned them into bloodthirsty corpses…

* * *

 **I'm a cruel, cruel human being! Please don't hit me! DX  
Poor Hawke… and not just her. Everyone's in a shock too. :P  
I'm so glad I got this chapter out. It's had me stumped for so long and now, I know how the story will unfold from now on. And who are these other darkspawn, lyrium crazed creatures you ask? Well you'll have to wait until the next chapter where shit continues to hit the fan for Hawke. What will it be? What's going to happen? Stay tuned guys!  
I quick notice that this fic may be bumped up to M when the next chapter is uploaded. I have a feeling this will become much to mature for T and I think others will agree.  
Thanks for reading guys! If there's anything you think that could be altered, please let me know. Tips are more than welcome :D**


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